A group of Evangelical Christian leaders expressed concern about the Trump administration’s executive stop work orders affecting foreign aid programs, after meeting the U.S. President at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. on Feb. 6. During a joint online press briefing the same day, they acknowledged the need for reform but warned that the abrupt funding cut risked upending long-standing effective programs that have saved lives across the world.
Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, said that he had personally seen the beneficial effect of U.S. foreign aid upon communities in Africa and Latin America.
“We are here as faith leaders to continue to express the importance of U.S. foreign aid as a pro life, pro family and anti poverty initiative. The president just finished saying [at the prayer breakfast] he wants to be known as a peacemaker, and as a person who builds bridges, and we think that foreign aid and help are two key tools to contribute to that legacy he professed before us.”
Galen Carey, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) vice president of government relations, outlined the difficulties facing foreign aid partners following the “stop work” orders by the Trump administration. On behalf of the NAE, he affirmed several points in response to “recent actions impacting the delivery of humanitarian development and refugee aid.”
Firstly, the NAE applauded President Donald Trump’s executive order reinstating the so-called “Mexico City policy” of prohibiting the funding and advocacy of abortion. “Our foreign policy and assistance should save lives, not end them,” he said.
However, Carey expressed concern about the sudden funding cuts' devastating effect on foreign aid.
“We acknowledge that every administration has the right and responsibility to review the effectiveness of our assistance programs as established by Congress and carried out by the Executive Branch,” Carey said. “So we affirm that there are aspects of our foreign aid programs that should be ended and others that could be reformed for greater effectiveness.
“However, this review and reform can be achieved without the wholesale disruption of the many programs that are working well and saving lives.”
The NAE holds a strong belief that any review of the US foreign aid budget should safeguard the country’s benevolence to those in desperate need, according to Carey.
“Although our country cannot solve all the world’s problems, our foreign aid should be available to care for victims of war and disaster, reduce crime and poverty, and assist to entail healthcare to those exposed to preventable diseases,” Carey said.
“We urge the Congress therefore to approve foreign aid budgets that will protect and strengthen our nation’s longstanding tradition of humanitarian concern and bring hope to those who are displaced, hungry and in need.”
Carey also called for “immediate clarity” by the new administration about its recent policies, in particular the indiscriminate stop work orders which he said had caused “chaos and confusion on the ground.” Carey described the result of these government actions as “damaging and wasteful.”
“Some of our members and partners are experiencing crippling cash flow crises. This is necessitating mass layoffs and abrupt termination of services with no time for responsible transitions. Community relationships have been patiently cultivated over months and years, and are now at risk of irreparable harm in a matter of days.”
The NAE welcomed the Trump administration's announcement of exemptions to stop work orders. However, Carey called upon these exemptions to be expanded and made practically implementable through “clear written communications” with implementing partners. He called for the immediate reinstatement of capable staff able to handle the exemptions and administer cash flow payments.
The issue of refugees is also a pressing concern for the NAE. Carey referred to a Lifeway Research poll showing that 70% of American evangelicals believe the country has a moral responsibility to welcome refugees. He also said that 65% of NAE leaders believe the American Church should be at the forefront of responding to the global displacement crisis.
“We call for the timely resumption of resettlement of refugees and clear guidance allowing refugee resettlement agencies to complete their work of assisting refugees who have already or recently arrived in our communities,” urged Carey.
The notion of eliminating wasteful spending in government by closing effective aid programs ironically will lead to a waste of taxpayers’ money, according to Carey.
“We affirm the goal of eliminating wasteful spending throughout government but caution against hastily pursued measures that will prove costly. So the abrupt closure of many effective aid programs will mean that some of the money already spent will have been wasted,” he said.
“Commodities will be lost and food will rot, and medicines expire. Other supplies may be stolen or misappropriated because the funds, the staff and the partners are not allowed to receive them. Also the loss of experienced personnel will lead to less effective oversight of the program implementation.
“Community relations will suffer and it will be hard to rebuild organizations that are destroyed in this way. Much goodwill towards the U.S. and gratitude for its assistance may be lost.”
The NAE also wants the Trump administration to rethink the assumption that effective international assistance, such as foreign aid, did not benefit the nation’s security, peace and prosperity.
“We welcome President Trump’s commitment to being a peacemaker but there is substantial evidence pointing to outsize benefits of our modest investment in foreign aid — for example, admiration and respect across the continent of Africa. Addressing extreme poverty and refugee populations has improved social stability,” Carey added.
Contrary to popular perceptions, only 1.7 percent of the federal budget was spent on international assistance and only 0.6 percent on poverty-focused aid, according to the NAE.
“We have not amassed a national debt, said our leaders, by spending too much on the world’s poor,” commented Carey.
“And as our policy framework for foreign nation states, we believe care for the vulnerable should extend beyond our national borders. We believe effective aid and initiatives for the reduction of global poverty should be a central concern of foreign policy and we support strategies to protect refugees, immigrants and partner with effective international aid agencies, and support Christian agencies and government policies that promote healthy communities.”
Carey reminded of the need for changes to international assistance programs to be ratified by Congress to allow for “hearings, markups, and debate,” and he pointed out these safeguards were constitutionally required.
Carey acknowledged that the longstanding commitments to foreign aid by the U.S. were not so easily understood by the general public but “America’s generosity, leadership and moral reputation are points of pride.”
“As evangelical Christians, we are committed to praying for President Trump, Secretary Rubio and and for our leaders in Congress, as they work together to determine the nature and scope of our future international engagements,” Carey said, acknowledging the importance of the spiritual background to policy decisions.
Emily Chambers Sharpe, director of nutrition and health for World Relief, echoed Carey’s comments in calling for clearer communications from the Trump administration, describing the current mechanism as a “strange communication process.”
Chambers Sharpe said aid stock had been recalled in places such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti, placing the charity and its aid efforts in a “very difficult position.”
She gave examples of the alarming effect of the Trump stop work orders upon people in desperate need. Some 122 malnutritioned children in Haiti were blocked from accessing food and she hoped churches would “stand in the gap” to provide funding after the U.S. government withdrew support. Bean crops ready to be planted in Haiti were also going to waste, at a cost to the U.S. taxpayer.
She pointed out that the stop work orders had made recent weeks very challenging and highlighted the detrimental effect upon vulnerable communities with churches facing conflicts, [disease] outbreaks and various natural disasters.
“We would love folk to understand that this isn’t just about future funding. We are unable to access funds for work that we already did in partnership with the U.S. government prior to January 20.”
Chambers Sharpe compared the 10 percent of HIV patients in Malawi with 10 percent of the population in the U.S. needing insulin for diabetes.
“Imagine that your life saving treatment that you need for HIV, you were meant to go and refill your prescription and you find the clinic door closed. Or they have AVs (antivirals) on the shelf but are told they cannot distribute them to you. This is life saving medication. Imagine if this was your pastor here and you are facing that with your congregant trying to get diabetes medication.
“For some folks this is really a crisis and we hope that we are able to communicate that it’s important that we partner together, that the U.S. will continue their commitment to do well in serving our neighbors overseas. And certainly as Christians, it’s of utmost importance for us to do the work that Jesus called us to do. To see that person in need on the side of the street and not just to pass by, but to be a good neighbor.”
