A bipartisan pair of senators wants answers from the State Department about its plans for large quantities of food and contraceptive supplies that were once meant for foreign aid, according to a new letter shared with Semafor.
After the move to shut down USAID, lawmakers hoped that already-purchased supplies would still be used. But Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., are worried that instead they are being destroyed or expiring, citing reports saying as much.
“If policies have shifted such that the United States is now unable to distribute purchased commodities, we question the long-term impact on supply chains and humanitarian pipelines,” the pair writes to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
They are asking for a list by Sept. 30 of all commodities purchased by USAID that may be destroyed and for the State Department’s “plans for ensuring efficient distribution of these items.”
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