May 16, 2022
The Honorable Gregory Meeks Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2170 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Michael McCaul Ranking Member Foreign Affairs Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2120 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul: The Professional Services Council (PSC) and its Council for International Development Companies (CIDC)1 commend the House Foreign Affairs Committee for its continued support for, and oversight of, U.S. foreign assistance programs and funding. The Committee’s May 17 hearing on “The FY23 Budget Request: USAID’s Foreign Policy and International Development Priorities” enables Committee members to reinforce the important role that Development plays in U.S. national security—alongside Defense and Diplomacy—and to ensure that American tax dollars are being authorized, appropriated, and executed to achieve agreed-upon Development goals. PSC believes that USAID could more efficiently and effectively implement programs if it had sufficient number of trained, capable contracting officers to evaluate, award, and manage projects that are vital to bringing our assistance where it is most needed. We call your attention to Administrator Power’s testimony last year, in which she highlighted the disparity in USAID and Department of Defense workload: Over the last two decades, the funding levels and complexity of our programs has expanded at a rate that significantly outpaces our staffing. For instance, each USAID contracting officer…has managed over $65 million annually over the past four years, more than four times the workload of their colleagues at the Department of Defense who manage an average of about $15 million. Moving forward, we are seeking not a return to the previous status quo, but to work with members of Congress to increase our number of direct hires, while maintaining a strong focus on creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Agency. With your support, USAID will move aggressively to tackle the world’s toughest challenges in order to build a more stable and prosperous future for us all.2 (emphasis added)
1
https://www.pscouncil.org/psc/Councils/c/__p/cc/CID.aspx?hkey=b852cdab-b041-47ed-902d-52026e032e16 https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/congressional-testimony/jul-14-2021-administrator-samantha-powerfy2022-budget-sfrc 2
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PSC Letter to HFAC Leadership on USAID FY23 Budget Hearing – Page 2
PSC urges the Committee to continue to provide USAID with the necessary funding and hiring flexibility to expand the number of key positions needed to address the required workload, and to work closely with the agency to evaluate the extent to which those levels are being achieved. Additionally, PSC’s CIDC members are committed to supporting USAID as it moves toward greater local engagement and participation as outlined in Administrator Power’s November 4, 2021 speech at Georgetown University. 3 A clear definition of “localization” that is commonly understood across relevant actors is vital if the agency and its partners are to have the necessary resource, goals, and metrics to demonstrate success.4 CIDC members stand ready to help USAID in defining this term and in formulating guidelines regarding locally-led development. Should you have any questions about our members’ experiences implementing USAID activities overseas, our Council of International Development Companies would welcome the opportunity to discuss them with you – as well as any other issues related to U.S. foreign assistance. PSC’s Vice President for International Development Paul Foldi will facilitate this engagement, if desired, and can respond to any related questions or comments. Yours respectfully,
David J. Berteau PSC President & CEO
3
https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/speeches/nov-4-2021-administrator-samantha-power-new-vision-globaldevelopment 4 See the just-released Brookings Institution analysis of the issue and PSC’s comments at https://www.brookings.edu/essay/locally-driven-development-overcoming-the-obstacles/