U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah testified earlier this week before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations on the FY2011 Budget request for USAID. In his opening remarks, Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) expressed his appreciation for Shah’s leadership at the beleaguered agency, which he characterized as a “formidable task.” He continued, “USAID is in urgent need of reform… I don’t think USAID is living up to its potential.” He went on to say, “I think that USAID has to change its culture, change the way it does business if it wants the kind of money that you’re here legitimately asking for… in this committee, in the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, you will not find stronger supporters of your mission among the men and women on this committee anywhere else in the Senate. We want nothing more for you to tell us how you can change.”
Shah began his remarks by noting the “once-in-a-lifetime or a once-in-a-generation type of opportunity” we face on foreign assistance reform, saying, “the president, the secretary, members of this committee, yourself, members of Congress have all called for a more effective, a more transparent, and a more capable development enterprise.” Shah listed specific areas that need reform at the agency:
