The Alliance for American Leadership (A4AL), a bipartisan, grassroots organization committed to strengthening U.S. humanitarian leadership, in partnership with Penn State School of International Affairs Student Government Association, recently hosted a discussion with over 400 attendees on the future of U.S. humanitarian aid featuring U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Chris Deluzio (D-PA).

The discussion featured an analysis of the humanitarian and national security benefits of USAID. Throughout the event, the importance of bipartisan support for foreign assistance was a shared sentiment, and it was made clear that there still exists a broad, engaged coalition of Americans who believe the United States should lead with both strength and compassion.

Speakers included:

• Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) 

• Representative Chris Deluzio (D-PA)

• Former USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios 

• Director of the USAID Innovation Lab at Penn State University Dr. David Hughes. This lab lost $36 million when USAID was shut down. 

• A4AL Pennsylvania Co-Chairs Maura O’Brien and Chris Dziados

• Penn State University School of International Affairs Student Government Association President Zachary Morrill  

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) told attendees, “Taxpayer dollars, obviously we always want to spend them carefully and strategically. USAID is, I believe, one of the best investments we make from a foreign policy standpoint.” He also made the case for foreign aid as a crucial tool for American global leadership and defending democracy abroad. “This is not about one tool by itself,” he said. “It’s about understanding how the full range of American power works together and how the world needs America to lead.” Representative Fitzpatrick said he will do what he can to ensure “we always have strong bipartisan support for foreign aid, foreign assistance to make sure that we never retreat from our responsibility to our allies.”

Representative Chris Deluzio (PA-17)  said, “When you cut diplomacy, when you cut foreign aid, you’re going to put more stress and more responsibilities on the military.” Representative Deluzio argued in favor of American leadership in foreign aid, saying that this assistance is about more than generosity. “It’s about our role in the world.” If America does not lead through development assistance, he said, the world will be worse off. “I’ve seen and I think we can envision what a world would look like where America does retreat from the world and it’s quite bleak to think about.”

Maura O’Brien, a former member of USAID who was most recently Director for the Office of Sudan and South Sudan Programs, is now a Pennsylvania Co-Chair for A4AL. O’Brien discussed the “tremendous, senseless suffering” caused by USAID’s closure, citing a study from The Lancet estimating  that 14 million people may die in the next five years as a direct result of foreign aid cuts. “But that’s not an inevitability,” said O’Brien.“That’s something that we have the power to change. And that’s why I think the work of the Alliance for American Leadership is so important.”

Dr. David Hughes, a professor and Director of the USAID Innovation Lab on Current and Emerging Threats to Crops at Penn State University, discussed his lab’s work to protect American agriculture. The lab’s Plant Village model is designed to empower farmers to be “a forward deployed force to look for diseases, help partners deal with those diseases locally, but then also act as an early warning system for things that can threaten American agriculture.” 

Asher Moss, Executive Director of A4AL, discussed the importance of a bipartisan consensus for international assistance. “Rebuilding that consensus,” said Moss, “is going to be critical, and what allows us to really create a stronger future for international assistance.” 

Andrew Natsios, the former USAID Administrator under George W. Bush, said, “Everything we do abroad, even if we’re doing it purely for humanitarian reasons, has political consequences and diplomatic and defense consequences.” Natsios shared that during his tenure as administrator, USAID sent a large disaster response team to Indonesia following a disastrous earthquake and tsunami in 2004. Three months after the response, polls indicated that the local popularity of the U.S. had nearly tripled as a result of humanitarian assistance. 

Chris Dziados, a retired U.S. Army officer and Pennsylvania Co-Chair for A4AL, also commented on foreign assistance as an important part of American foreign policy that changes the face of American power. Dziadsos said:“It ensures that a person’s first interaction with an American isn’t a soldier with a rifle, imprinting a lifelong stereotype, but rather someone helping develop utilities, school, agriculture, and more.” He suggested foreign aid saves American lives and taxpayer dollars, because “it means fewer soldiers like myself being put in harm’s way, and strategically, it means we’re solving problems before they escalate.” Dziados also said,“Every dollar spent in foreign aid can save 100 million dollars in military intervention.”

Zachary Morrill, president of the Penn State University School of International Affairs Student Government Association, shared that the Penn State student body will be voting on a resolution to restore USAID. Morrill shared that USAID’s closure meant “students who hope to dedicate their careers to humanitarian response, development policy, and global crisis management now face a landscape with fewer opportunities.” 

The full event can be viewed on A4AL’s YouTube channel.

The Alliance for American Leadership is committed to increasing public support for foreign aid and securing the votes to restore funding from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Supporting foreign aid saves millions of lives and protects American interests at home and abroad. 

For media inquiries, please reach out to outreach@a4al.org.