WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on President’s Trump attempt to install an Acting Chair of the Boards of both the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to dismantle their programs and lay off staff:
“Not content with illegally dismantling USAID, the President is engaged in yet another power grab to take control of other critical diplomatic tools established by Congress.
“President’s Trump attempt to bypass the law and install his unconfirmed loyalist as an Acting Chair of the Boards of both the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) as a means to terminate their programs and their staff is unlawful and unacceptable. These entities were created by statute in 1969 and 1980 and have been supported by repeated bipartisan appropriations. Their elimination cannot be done by executive action alone.
“By statute, the Boards of Directors are to be appointed by the President and subject to Senate confirmation. If President Trump wishes to nominate new Board members, he can submit nominations to the Senate—as the law requires.”
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