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From: Molly S. O'Connor
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 6:07 PM
To: GR Group
Subject: CQ: Confirmation Timeline Murky for USAID Nominee

Confirmation Timeline Murky for USAID Nominee
By Rachel Oswald, CQ Roll Call

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker<http://www.cq.com/person/6494> said he planned to give prompt attention to the White House's nominee to helm the government's lead foreign aid agency, but he would not offer a specific timeline while the panel remains focused on other priorities.

President Barack Obama<http://www.cq.com/person/7612> tapped longtime Africa aid specialist Gayle Smith last month to lead the United States Agency for International Development. But the announcement received scant initial attention in the Senate due to floor debate on the Iran bill. A number of senators on Tuesday said they still needed to familiarize themselves with her background.

"I hadn't thought about it yet but I'm sure we'll deal with it promptly," said Sen. Bob Corker<http://www.cq.com/person/6494>, who as chairman of Foreign Relations has responsibility for convening a confirmation hearing. "We know it's a very important position."

At the moment though, the Tennessee Republican said the committee had a full plate including review of an Obama administration plan to renew a bilateral nuclear trade deal with China, legislation to reauthorize certain State Department functions and potentially debate and approve an authorization for use of military force against the Islamic State.

"There's no reason to think anything but positive [of Smith], but I'll let it go through the normal [vetting] process," said Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin<http://www.cq.com/person/228> of Maryland, ranking Democrat of the committee.

A Republican committee aide said Smith's completed paperwork arrived Tuesday. "The committee will now proceed with the normal process to include an internal review before a public hearing," the staffer said.

The last time the panel had a confirmation hearing for a USAID leader was late 2009 when Rajiv Shah was in the hot seat.
Defense Over Democracy?

Shah, who officially stepped down after five years in February, had a reputation for emphasizing food security, health and education. According to some experts, that focus, while laudable, came at the expense of democracy promotion and human rights.

It is not yet clear whether Smith, who serves as the senior director for development and democracy on the National Security Council, would reorient the agency's focus.

William Easterly, an economics professor who co-directs New York University's Development Research Institute, said he was disappointed by Smith's nomination, particularly because of her ties to Ethiopia's now-deceased autocratic leader Meles Zenawi.

"Her career embodies and she herself embodies this confusion between defense and development that I think definitely needs to be cleared up," said Easterly, the author of "The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor."

"We should not use political convenience as a reason to support people like Meles, [Rwandan President Paul] Kagame, and [Ugandan President Yoweri] Museveni, even if they are allies in the war on terror," he said, adding: "We should not pretend that those guys are good guys."

However, Thomas Carothers, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Smith's positive opinion of Zenawi was well within the mainstream of U.S. foreign policy thinking in the 1990s.

"Trying to paint her as somebody who is sympathetic to dictators in Africa is unnecessary and an oversimplified accusation," Carothers said.

Jason Hickel, an anthropologist who lectures at the London School of Economics, said USID is not viewed in the developing world as having a strong commitment to democracy and human rights and he has not seen evidence that Smith would work to change USAID's priorities on that accord.

"Should such a reorientation take place? Well, yes, of course. But I really don't think it's possible for USAID to make such a move," said Hickel, whose research focuses on democracy, violence and globalization. "USAID does play an important role when it comes to humanitarian assistance. That cannot be denied. I trust that Smith will do an excellent job on that front, as Shah did. But democracy promotion is another matter."

Reactions from the Western NGO community have been largely positive, with a number of high-profile groups such as ONE; Bread for the World; The Enough Project, which Smith co-founded; Oxfam; and Mercy Corps all welcoming the announcement.

Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity, said she appreciated Smith's willingness while on the National Security Council to meet with women from across the world to hear their first-hand accounts about why access to sexual and reproductive health services matter.

"We hope that she would have a similar responsiveness and approach as head of USAID," Sippel said.

Liz Schrayer, president of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a foreign aid advocacy group, said she expects Smith would bring an added focus of attaining country buy-in for U.S. aid development policies.

"Like anybody coming in at the end of an administration, I think that there is a clock ticking," Schrayer said. "I certainly urge the Senate to confirm her very quickly."

Smith, who if confirmed would report directly to Secretary of State John Kerry<http://www.cq.com/person/225>, has been on the National Security Council since 2009 where her portfolio encompasses global development, democracy and assisting in the coordination of U.S. government responses to major humanitarian disasters. Before joining the Obama White House, she was a fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress and held a senior position during the Clinton administration with USAID.


Molly O'Connor
OFW Law
Government Relations Advisor

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