Contrary to press reports suggesting U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) was opposed to cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and to the mission of the Department of Government Efficiency, recent remarks on the Senate floor make it clear he is in favor of both.
A story by the Kansas Reflector on February 7, 2024, headlined “Kansas’ Moran, Davids sound alarm on delay of USAID food aid to starving people worldwide,” seemed to imply that Moran’s concerns about food aid — at the time sitting in ports awaiting shipment — meant that Moran was not in favor of reining in waste, fraud and abuse at the agency.
“Moran said there was a ‘moral component to food aid,’ but he understood administrative issues with U.S. aid programs had to be addressed,” the Reflector reported. “That reform, he said, must go beyond presidential directives so Congress could be ‘involved in making the decision of what this should look like.'”
The Reflector then tied Moran’s remarks and those of U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kansas), who sits on the House Ag Committee — who said: “Hunger destabilizes countries, starts wars, eliminates markets and causes human suffering. America benefits on multiple levels from making investments that address it. America is the leader of the free world, which comes with certain responsibilities. Addressing global hunger is both the morally right and strategically wise thing do to. (sic.)” — to more aggressive comments by U.S. Rep Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), who claimed the shutdown was “reckless and illegal.”
“Elon Musk’s reckless and illegal shutdown of USAID isn’t lowering prices as promised — it’s hurting our economy, national security, and hardworking Kansans,” the Reflector reported Davids said. “My team has heard from many who have lost their jobs, small businesses facing bankruptcy, and Kansas farmers struggling to sell their crops. This level of irresponsibility cannot go unchecked.”
Senate floor remarks contradict picture painted by media
However, information from Moran’s press secretary — and his own remarks on the Senate floor — make it clear that Moran’s concern was for this one program, not for USAID as a whole, nor opposition to DOGE.
“Sen. Moran worked with the Department of State and USDA to make certain that the US-grown commodities that were stalled in ports did not spoil,” Moran Spokeswoman Angela Lingg said. “Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio issued a waiver for life-saving aid and shipping of the food was resumed over the weekend.”
Moreover, on the Senate Floor, Moran noted that the “Food for Peace” program has fed more than 4 billion people in more than 150 countries over the last 70 years but that USAID’s management of the program has been “a concern.”
“Food for Peace is administered by the USAID, and the inefficiency of USAID has been a growing concern,” Moran said. “The Agency struggles with bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and a lack of coordination, which undermines its ability to deliver effective aid to those in need.
“This inefficiency not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also diminishes the impact of American foreign aid in addressing global crises.”
Moran said USAID’s waste has undermined U.S. interests.
“Reports suggest that millions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated to promoting tourism in Lebanon and Egypt, funding the purchase of electric vehicles for Vietnam, and inadvertently supporting the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan,” he said. “Even more concerning, it has been confirmed that $9 million intended for civilian food and medical supplies in Syria fell into the hands of terrorist organizations linked to al Qaeda due to the failed oversight of USAID.”
Moran said he has introduced a bill, along with Senators John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) and Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) as well as Rep. Mann, to move Food for Peace from “the turbulent USAID program” to the Department of Agriculture “in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it. USDA has a long and proven history of managing agricultural policy and programs that support American farmers, food distribution systems, and global security efforts.”
