Rally on Capitol Hill to Support USAID
RPCVs turn out in solidarity with our foreign assistance colleagues.
Supporters of USAID foreign assistance programs rallied on Capitol Hill Wednesday, with many returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) among us.
Speakers included Senator Tim Kaine, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Chris Coons, Representative John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1966-68), Representative Lois Frankel, and Representative Sara Jacobs.
Some demonstrators at the rally seemed increasingly frustrated with the Democratic lawmakers. From time to time, chants of “Do your job!” and “What’s your plan?” were directed toward the members of Congress. Senator Kaine and others took the microphone to describe how Democrats plan to fight the changes.
Watch excerpts of their speeches here (yes, that is me over Rep. Garamendi’s left shoulder).
I met up with many longtime colleagues and friends—and a few new ones—at the rally, including Sarah Gavian (Togo 1983-84), who has dedicated her entire career to service in the international arena. She shared her story with me:
“In 1983, I joined the Peace Corps and went to Togo. Our program helped cotton farmers form village cooperatives to improve planting, harvesting, and marketing, similar to the old Agway model. This experience led me to study the root causes of such poverty in graduate school and dedicate my career to managing food security research and policy projects across Africa. Along the way, I learned new languages, married a Nigerien, and proudly raised an international family. I also led numerous USAID-funded projects aligned with the Peace Corps' three fundamental goals: changing lives, representing our country, and bringing the world back home. It is beyond inconceivable to me that our President would abruptly and illegally dismantle USAID, thereby undermining our nation's long standing role as the defender of our moral vision and democratic institutions worldwide.”
Meanwhile, USAID foreign service officers posted abroad shared with me their letter to members of Congress, which included the following:
“We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the unprecedented dismantling of USAID, and the inhumane, unjust, and unacceptable treatment of dedicated personnel who are committed to serving their nation and protecting U.S interests abroad. USAID is staffed by Americans dedicated to improving the lives of people around the world. Foreign assistance is a vital tool of the U.S.: it prevents pandemics, addresses causes of migration, bolsters democratic institutions and, most importantly, enhances our national security.”
Later, Sarah Gavian shared the following article and a thought with me: “As we do noble things in our attempts to protect foreign assistance, we should consider this opposing strategic view:”
Democrats Are Falling For Trump and Musk’s Foreign Aid Trap, by Rachael Bade in POLITICO | January 4, 2025.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s campaign to dismantle the federal bureaucracy piece by piece at Trump’s behest, starting with the U.S. Agency for International Development, lit a fire under many Democratic lawmakers — several of whom rallied Monday outside USAID headquarters. But relaunching the resistance to defend one of the least popular corners of the federal budget could be a monster miscalculation — and some prominent Democrats have serious strategic reservations about how their party is fighting back.