{"id":2398872,"date":"2025-02-04T16:44:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T21:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-ernst-usaid-wouldnt-tell-congress-how-it-spent-billions\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T16:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T21:46:56","slug":"sen-ernst-usaid-wouldnt-tell-congress-how-it-spent-billions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-ernst-usaid-wouldnt-tell-congress-how-it-spent-billions\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Ernst: USAID Wouldn&#8217;t Tell Congress How It Spent Billions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsen-ernst-usaid-wouldnt-tell-congress-how-it-spent-billions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2398872&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>teh \u2064recent controversy surrounding the\u2062 U.S. \u2064Agency for\u200b International Development \u200d(USAID) highlights \u2064significant issues related to \u200doversight and accountability in\u200b federal spending. The agency has\u2062 been accused of resisting\u2062 congressional supervision,\u200b especially in relation to its use of taxpayer funds for indirect costs defined in Negotiated Indirect \u200cCost rate Agreements\u2064 (NICRAs). Republican\u2063 Senator Joni Ernst has been vocal in her efforts to probe USAID&#8217;s spending,claiming that the\u2063 agency issued threats to her office to deter oversight efforts. Despite a \u200dconstitutional mandate for Congress to oversee federal expenditures, USAID has reportedly failed to provide comprehensive data, claiming obstacles related to \u200cprivacy laws\u200b and protections for \u200cthe\u2064 business data \u2063of its partners.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2023,after a lack\u2062 of transparency,Ernst \u2062and fellow Republican Rep. Michael McCaul initiated a congressional investigation into USAID&#8217;s spending practices. They voiced concerns that the lack of\u2063 oversight has \u200cled to \u2062inflated NICRA\u2064 amounts,<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">potentially misallocating taxpayer dollars<\/a>,up to 60% of which may\u2064 be directed towards indirect costs like administrative\u200d expenses. ernst&#8217;s follow-up\u2064 request for\u2062 spending information, particularly regarding funds sent to projects in \u200bUkraine, also went largely unanswered. This situation escalated with the\u200d placement of USAID officials on administrative leave amid \u200daccusations \u200cof obstructing administrative efforts fostered\u2064 under President Trump.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200cof early February 2025, there are discussions about merging \u200cUSAID \u200binto\u200d the State Department, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-have-the-army-pennsylvania-grassroots-eager-for-direction-as-rnc-trains-poll-watchers\/\" title=\"Pennsylvania Grassroots Ready for Guidance as RNC Prepares Poll Watchers\">reflecting ongoing efforts<\/a>\u200c to address concerns\u200c over \u200cthe agency&#8217;s\u2063 operations\u200d and spending.This controversy illustrates the \u200dongoing debate \u2063over government accountability, oversight, and the proper\u200c use \u200dof taxpayer resources\u200c in\u2063 international aid \u200bprograms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) made headlines in recent days for deliberately resisting President Donald Trump&rsquo;s attempts to purge the federal government of bureaucratic rot. Before it began slow-walking and even physically blocking Trump&rsquo;s Department of Government Efficiency from evaluating its necessity to the federal government, however, the taxpayer-funded USAID repeatedly resisted congressional supervision of its spending habits.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Sen. Joni Ernst disclosed in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1886278064012689707\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an X Spaces forum<\/a> with DOGE Head Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Sunday that USAID issued &ldquo;all kinds of threats&rdquo; to the Republican and her office for her attempt to &ldquo;exercise my oversight capacity in Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ernst <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignaffairs.house.gov\/press-release\/mccaul-ernst-fight-for-accountability-in-foreign-aid-at-usaid\/#:~:text=charged%20with%20assisting.-,Indirect%20costs%2C%20which%20can%20include%20rent%20for%20a%20partner's%20corporate,for%20more%20than%20five%20years.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first<\/a> pressed USAID on how it used its tax dollars to pay the facilities and administrative costs outlined in Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements (NICRAs) in November 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse which means it is the supreme authority over all federal taxpayer spending. USAID, despite being funded by Congres, refused to comply with Ernst&rsquo;s demands, she said.<\/p>\n<p>When USAID finally responded in February 2023, the agency <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignaffairs.house.gov\/press-release\/mccaul-ernst-fight-for-accountability-in-foreign-aid-at-usaid\/#:~:text=charged%20with%20assisting.-,Indirect%20costs%2C%20which%20can%20include%20rent%20for%20a%20partner's%20corporate,for%20more%20than%20five%20years.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> it did not &ldquo;have a system to track or report on this data, as it is not possible to compare indirect costs between for-profit and nonprofit organizations at the rate level.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>One week later, Ernst&rsquo;s staff debunked this claim by sending USAID a link &ldquo;to a publicly reported NICRA database.&rdquo; USAID confirmed the existence of a database but once again refused to indulge Ernst&rsquo;s demands.<\/p>\n<p>This time, the agency claimed that divulging NICRA information was impossible because it would violate several federal laws including &ldquo;the Economic Espionage Act, Protection of Trade Secrets Act, and Disclosure of Confidential Information Act.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A few days later, USAID landed on its final attempt to stonewall: &ldquo;The Agency protects the confidential business information of its implementing partners, including NICRAs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is longstanding executive branch practice, under Presidents of both parties, to protect confidential business information from disclosure outside the scope of a formal oversight request by a committee of jurisdiction,&rdquo; the agency told Ernst&rsquo;s office over email. <\/p>\n<p>In April 2023, Ernst and GOP Rep. Michael McCaul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/ernst-mccaul-fight-for-accountability-in-foreign-aid-at-usaid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched<\/a> an official congressional investigation into USAID spending. They <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/ernst_mccaul_letter_to_usaid.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressed USAID once again<\/a> to answer for the billions of American tax dollars it funneled through NICRAs starting in 2021. The pair emphasized that Congress is constitutionally enabled to conduct oversight and ensure &ldquo;that such funds are not unduly wasted.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We understand that some indirect costs are a necessary expense when delivering humanitarian assistance; however, we have serious concerns over the lack of oversight regarding the issuing and review of your agency&rsquo;s NICRAs with USAID&rsquo;s partners. We fear NICRAs have ballooned due to a lack of stewardship and care,&rdquo; Ernst and McCaul warned.<\/p>\n<p>Months later in November 2023, Ernst <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/us_agency_for_international_development_letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">demanded<\/a> that USAID Administrator Samantha Powers hand over crucial information about her agency&rsquo;s spending &mdash; including sending billions of American tax dollars to fund pet projects and small businesses in Ukraine &mdash; but, as Ernst noted Sunday, was again ignored.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, Ernst&rsquo;s staff was permitted access to &ldquo;very limited data&rdquo; about USAID&rsquo;s indirect costs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They were allowed to go into a room and they couldn&rsquo;t take notes. They were on camera the whole time. They couldn&rsquo;t remove any of the information,&rdquo; Ernst told Musk.<\/p>\n<p>Even with &ldquo;very limited data,&rdquo; Ernst said her staff discovered USAID spent &ldquo;anywhere from 50 to 60 percent&rdquo; on indirect costs which could range from someone&rsquo;s &ldquo;rent in Paris&rdquo; to a &ldquo;fancy dinner to entertain whomever.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>USAID did not immediately respond to The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment. <\/p>\n<p>Ernst&rsquo;s struggle to hold USAID accountable frustrated Musk who called the agency&rsquo;s obstruction of her repeated attempts to investigate &ldquo;outrageous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s outrageous that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-of-taxpayer-funded-antiracist-group-funneled-nearly-300k-to-husbands-law-firm\/\" title=\"President of Taxpayer-Funded Antiracist Group Funneled Nearly 0K to Husband\u2019s Law Firm\">taxpayer-funded organization<\/a> would threaten a U.S. Senator who is simply trying to figure out if American taxpayer money is being spent correctly and not fraudulently,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>USAID&rsquo;s shenanigans, however, didn&rsquo;t start or stop with hamstringing Ernst.<\/p>\n<p>USAID Security Director John Voorhees and his deputy Brian McGill were reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/02\/us\/politics\/usaid-official-leave-musk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">placed on leave<\/a> over the weekend after they tried to physically block DOGE enforcers from accessing their systems. Voorhees and McGill&rsquo;s misconduct, which Washington, D.C. District Attorney Edward Martin Jr. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USAO_DC\/status\/1886537850390483276\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hinted<\/a> could result in prosecution, came mere days after acting agency administrator Jason Gray placed dozens of USAID employees on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/articles\/2025\/01\/28\/trump_places_more_than_50_usaid_officials_on_leave__152266.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">administrative leave<\/a> for, as RealClear Politics reported, &ldquo;conspiring to circumvent Trump&rsquo;s executive orders&rdquo; on international funding and diversity, equity, and inclusion.<\/p>\n<p>In recent days, officials have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/usaid-merged-into-state-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">communicated<\/a> plans to fold USAID into the State Department. By Monday, agency personnel were instructed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/usaid-workers-stay-home-elon-musk-trump-shut-down-2025-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stay home<\/a> and the website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usaid.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">went dark<\/a> while DOGE began its investigation into USAID&rsquo;s advance of what Musk called &ldquo;radically left causes throughout the world including things that are anti-American.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to squandering a majority of its taxpayer dollars on overhead, USAID has wielded Americans hard-earned money for <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1885897640992252240\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">international censorship<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1885861960291381752\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CIA-like regime change <\/a><span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1885861960291381752\" target=\"_blank\">operations<\/a><\/span>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/04\/11-insane-things-your-tax-dollars-paid-for-thanks-to-usaid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meals for terrorists. <\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>USAID has resisted Trump&#8217;s efforts to reform federal bureaucracy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2398873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pallets_of_food_water_and_supplies_staged_to_be_delivered_4288415235.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4402,5618,49815,3834,16381],"class_list":["post-2398872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congress","tag-oversight","tag-sen-ernst","tag-spending","tag-usaid"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Pallets_of_food_water_and_supplies_staged_to_be_delivered_4288415235.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2398872"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2398876,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2398872\/revisions\/2398876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2398872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2398872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}