Agency for International Development

What the document says

“The next conservative Administration should scale back USAID’s global footprint by, at a minimum, returning to the agency’s 2019 pre–COVID-19 pandemic budget level.”

The chapter asks for the agency's global footprint to be scaled back to at least its 2019 level, for its programs and structures to be, in its word, deradicalised, and for deep cuts to the international affairs 150 Account while giving the agency more flexibility over how it spends what remains.

What the document says

“USAID should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves”

The chapter says this is the quickest way to end what it calls wrenching poverty and the need for open-ended foreign aid. It asks that all climate policies be rescinded from foreign aid programs and that the agency cease collaborating with and funding foundations, corporations, international institutions and NGOs that it says advocate climate fanaticism.

What the document says

“The next conservative Administration should dismantle USAID’s DEI apparatus by eliminating the Chief Diversity Officer position along with the DEI advisers and committees”

The chapter also asks that the diversity scorecard and dashboard be cancelled, that such requirements be removed from contract and grant tenders, and that a directive issue to cease promotion of the agenda including what it calls the bullying LGBTQ+ agenda. It says staff, implementers and grantees who engage in ideological agitation on its behalf should be dismissed and entities debarred, and that funding for partners promoting such practices should end.

What the document says

“the next conservative Administration should issue an executive order that, at a minimum, reinstates PLGHA and summarily blocks funding to UNFPA”

Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance, known as the Mexico City Policy, bars US global health funding to foreign organizations that perform or promote abortion. The chapter asks for it to be reinstated, widened to all foreign assistance including humanitarian aid, extended to subgrantees and subcontractors, with exemptions for US-based NGOs and international organizations removed, compliance reported, and debarment as a penalty. It also asks that the Biden memorandum of 28 January 2021 be rescinded.

What the document says

“It should remove all references, examples, definitions, photos, and language on USAID websites”

The chapter lists the terms to be removed as gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender diverse individuals, gender aware and gender sensitive, across websites, publications, policies, contracts and grants. It also asks that the Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment be renamed and that a presidential memorandum on gender in the program cycle be rescinded.

What the document says

“Office of Women, Children, and Families should implement the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Women’s Health and Protection of the Family”

The Geneva Consensus Declaration is a non-binding statement signed by a group of countries in 2020 asserting there is no international right to abortion and affirming the family as the natural unit of society. The chapter asks that the agency implement it and prioritize partnerships with local organizations including faith-based ones, and that the agency's goal be to protect all members of society from conception to natural death.

What the document says

“The next conservative Administration must champion the core American value of religious freedom”

The chapter says religious freedom correlates significantly with poverty reduction, economic growth and peace. It asks that all staff be trained on that connection, that it be integrated into all programs including the five-year country strategies due for update in 2025, that missions strengthen ties with local faith leaders, and that Congress appropriate funding specifically to support persecuted religious minorities.

What the document says

“The USAID Administrator should be authorized to take on the additional role of Director of Foreign Assistance”

The chapter asks that the Administrator hold the additional role of Director of Foreign Assistance with the rank of Deputy Secretary, which would place the agency's head over the coordination of foreign assistance more broadly.

What the document says

“eliminate funding to any partner that engages with Chinese entities directly or indirectly”

The chapter asks that aid reward countries that resist what it calls China's debt diplomacy, that programs be financed to counter specific Chinese efforts in strategically important countries, and that the Bangkok-based regional mission focus on cross-border initiatives countering Chinese influence.

What the document says

“assurances that language promoting abortion will be removed from U.N. documents, policy statements, and technical literature”

The chapter asks that a political appointee coordinate cross-agency efforts to hold United Nations and World Health Organization agencies to a higher standard of financial and programmatic accountability, and includes this among the assurances sought. It also asks for more prominent American representation on international technical and regulation-setting committees.

What the document says

“The next Administration should resize and repurpose USAID’s humanitarian aid portfolio to restore its original purpose of providing emergency short-term relief”

The chapter records that the agency merged food and non-food emergency relief into a single humanitarian bureau in 2020 and says that reform was not sufficient. It asks that the portfolio be resized to short-term relief, prepare vulnerable communities for transition, and do no harm.