May 29, 2025
Washington, D.C. – The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) welcomes aspects of the State Department’s revised reorganization proposal issued today, including the creation of an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Affairs. Still, further changes are needed to avoid the continued degradation of U.S. development and humanitarian assistance capabilities in the wake of the dismantling of USAID.
This new proposal – released as an official Congressional Notification (CN) sent to Capitol Hill this morning -- demonstrates progress from the initial March 28 plan, which would have further marginalized development and humanitarian efforts by scattering responsibilities across the Department without coherent structure or leadership. Critically, the March proposal lacked a Senate-confirmed leader for development and humanitarian work—leaving no consistent voice or accountability for these essential missions. The absence of such leadership risked fragmenting U.S. foreign assistance programming -- diminishing impact and undermining the effectiveness of America’s global engagement.
MFAN is encouraged by the new proposal to create an Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Affairs—a Senate-confirmed position that can bring much-needed leadership, coherence, and accountability to the Department’s foreign assistance work. This change brings the reorganization more in line with recommendations MFAN first put forward in mid-March (The Future of U.S. Development and Humanitarian Assistance: Recommendations for Influence and Impact), which emphasized the need for strong, centralized leadership to coordinate and elevate development and humanitarian priorities. MFAN is also pleased to see several moves that increase the ability of the U.S. to respond to humanitarian crises. These include adding the Office of Global Food Security to the F Bureau, naming a Senate-confirmed Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, continuing with USAID’s world-class Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs), adding ‘a considerable number’ of expert staff from USAID, and creating a new office to specialize in humanitarian logistics and operations.
Additional improvements to the proposal, through consultation with and review by Congress and other stakeholders, are still needed. One area of concern is that the structure still lacks full alignment and cohesion of development and humanitarian programs; instead, it fragments development functions across regional bureaus. Additionally: the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD) would be housed in the E Family under the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment – rather than under the Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance and Humanitarian Affairs; the Office of Global Food Security would not be headed by a senior, Senate-confirmed official; and PRM’s humanitarian functions and repatriation functions create a mixed mandate.
Issues concerning capacity also remain a key concern. For any reorganization to succeed, it must have the staff, systems, and other tools needed to meet its objectives. This includes the ability to manage contracts, grants, and payments; handle logistics and supply chains; analyze current and future development and humanitarian needs; design effective responses; measure and evaluate impact; ensure strong oversight and technical quality; and clearly communicate priorities and results.
MFAN looks forward to continuing to engage with the Administration and Congress to ensure that restructuring enhances the effectiveness, transparency, and strategic direction of U.S. foreign assistance.
About MFAN:
The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) is a bipartisan coalition of international development practitioners, policy advocates, and experts committed to making U.S. foreign assistance more effective, accountable, and results-driven.
For media inquiries, please reach out to Tod Preston, MFAN Executive Director, at Tod.Preston@modernizeaid.net
