Reps. Adam Smith and Young Kim Relaunch the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance
September 20, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Young Kim (R-Calif.) announced the relaunch of the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance. The caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Adam Smith and Young Kim, is a bipartisan effort to examine the way the U.S. currently delivers foreign assistance, explore success stories in the delivery of assistance, and identify ways to improve U.S. foreign assistance and development to maximize its impact and benefit.
“U.S. international development programs are instrumental in creating a more peaceful and prosperous world. Working with partners and allies, our foreign aid helps reduce poverty and instability and promotes economic and political development,” said Rep. Adam Smith. “I am thrilled to relaunch the Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance today with Rep. Young Kim to continue the long-standing bipartisan efforts to promote the importance of U.S. foreign assistance and maximize its impact. As the world faces a multitude of crises, it is as important as ever to keep finding ways to both support and improve our international development programs.”
“Deploying low-cost, evidence-based resources to areas that need support the most around the world saves lives, boosts U.S. global leadership, and protects our national security. As we work to rein in federal spending, ensuring every dollar is spent as effectively as possible is more important than ever,” said Rep. Young Kim, who serves on the Africa Subcommittee and as Chairwoman of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I’m proud to re-launch the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Effective Foreign Assistance with Rep. Adam Smith to bring innovative ideas to the table about how to make our aid programs more effective and as impactful as possible around the world while saving taxpayer dollars.”
Reps. Smith and Kim hosted an event today in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the relaunch of the caucus. The event featured remarks from Reps. Smith and Kim followed by a panel discussion focused on U.S. foreign assistance with former USAID Administrators Gayle Smith, CEO of the ONE Campaign, and Ambassador Mark Green (ret.), President and CEO of the Wilson Center. The panel discussion was moderated by Tessie San Martin, Co-Chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network and CEO of FHI 360.
See below for photos from the event.