Schatz Leads Group Of 17 Senators In Demanding Trump Administration Comply With Law, Use Foreign Assistance Funding To Support Global Health, Food Aid, Help Save Lives As[...]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, today led a group of 17 senators in demanding that the Trump administration reverse course on withholding $19 billion in taxpayer money, comply with the law, and spend down the funding as Congress directed.

In their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, and OMB Deputy Director Eric Ueland, the senators wrote, "The plan includes spending up to $3.2 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 development and global health funding on close-out costs, instead of lifesaving and other congressionally-directed programs, which constitutes an unnecessary and illegal impoundment of funds."

"All of these funds were appropriated to advance U.S. interests in stabilizing overseas markets, advancing energy security, supporting Ukraine, combatting infectious diseases, and strengthening food security, among other purposes. In addition to abandoning our partners, ceding global leadership, and potentially wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, terminating these programs as part of the Administration's illegal and reckless decimation of USAID has resulted in significant costs as legal fees pile up and overdue payments are owed to U.S. implementing partners. These implementers need to be made whole, and sufficient prior year funds exist to cover related expenses," the senators continued.

"We therefore demand that the Administration obligate the full $3.2 billion in expiring FY25 assistance, including the $2 billion global health funding, consistent with the law. The Administration also must satisfy its remaining payments owed to implementers and release the remainder of prior year funds."

Schatz's letter was also signed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).

The full text of the letter follows and is available here.

Dear Secretary Rubio, Director Vought, and Deputy Director Ueland:

On April 20, the Administration informed Congress that it is withholding $19 billion in taxpayer dollars as part of its plan to cover "costs associated with the close-out of terminated foreign assistance awards," which is an appalling admission of waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars resulting from the misconceived foreign assistance review and abrupt drawdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The plan includes spending up to $3.2 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 development and global health funding on close-out costs, instead of lifesaving and other congressionally-directed programs, which constitutes an unnecessary and illegal impoundment of funds. We write to demand that you reverse this proposal and put the funds to their intended use to save lives and advance U.S. interests as directed by Congress last year.

All of these funds were appropriated to advance U.S. interests in stabilizing overseas markets, advancing energy security, supporting Ukraine, combatting infectious diseases, and strengthening food security, among other purposes. In addition to abandoning our partners, ceding global leadership, and potentially wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, terminating these programs as part of the Administration's illegal and reckless decimation of USAID has resulted in significant costs as legal fees pile up and overdue payments are owed to U.S. implementing partners. These implementers need to be made whole, and sufficient prior year funds exist to cover related expenses.

The $3.2 billion in FY25 funds were signed into law by President Trump in March 2025 and expire at the end of this September. Notably, this includes $2 billion appropriated for healthassistance, including $330 million for programs to combat HIV/AIDS, $250 million for malaria programs, $320 million for maternal and child health, and nearly $650 million for global health security, among other critical programs. The Administration should immediately begin using these foreign assistance funds to deliver results for the American people. There is no reason for this FY25 funding to be withheld to cover the wasteful costs this Administration has incurred because it chose to dismantle USAID.

Withholding these investments will significantly reduce programming worldwide, with particularly severe consequences for populations already facing heightened hardship due to prior aid terminations and reductions. Holding FY25 health funds in reserve-while urgent needs go unmet-creates unnecessary risk and wastes taxpayer dollars. It is unconscionable that the Administration would leave these funds unspent at a moment when newly released Department of State data show a sharp decline in HIV testing and prevention, raising the risk of new infections and undermining long-term epidemic control; when malaria is resurging globally and antimalarial drug resistance is spreading; and when millions of children are projected to die this year from preventable diseases.

We further note that award terminations cannot be used as a back door to illegally close USAID. The Administration requested legal authority to close USAID in the President's FY26 budget request, and that was rejected by the Congress and excluded from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).

We therefore demand that the Administration obligate the full $3.2 billion in expiring FY25 assistance, including the $2 billion global health funding, consistent with the law. The Administration also must satisfy its remaining payments owed to implementers and release the remainder of prior year funds.

We request that you respond by no later than May 8, 2026 with a timeline for making these funds available to the lifesaving and other critical programs for which they were provided.

Sincerely,

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