Catherine, Utah

Dear Senator Curtis:

I'm a constituent in Utah. From [REDACTED] to [REDACTED], I worked for [REDACTED] when our department, Technology Assisted Language Learning, received part of a USAID grant to spread the concept of the rule of law to the judicial system in China. As an English instructor, language tester, and curriculum developer, I taught Chinese lawyers, judges, and prosecutors legal English. They then came to the United States and received further training in the concept of the rule of law.

As you know, rule of law is such an important concept because it protects citizens from the capriciousness of decisions made on a whim by powerful individuals.

The program I was involved with is just one example of many that USAID is or has been involved with. My experience was that we built friendships and connections of understanding with Chinese legal scholars, and our students were eager to learn and absorb the information. We taught multiple cohorts of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors each year. While the geopolitical situation with China has changed significantly since that time, I do not believe our work and connections were wasted.

Other USAID programs have even more significant and obvious impact, protecting Americans from wars, pandemics, and terrorism. Multiple refugee crises, resulting in more displaced people globally now than at any other time in history, are likely to become even worse without US foreign aid. Tanzania is experiencing an outbreak of the hemorrhagic Marburg virus, which could become a significant threat to global health. There are a multitude of other examples of ways global instability and crisis can very easily impact the United States in our very connected world.

An audit of USAID's programs and their effectiveness is an idea I support. However, a reliable audit cannot be completed in a week or two; it would require time and care. Such an audit should not be completed with a "move fast and break things" modus operandi, because the things that will be broken are the health, security, and stability of human lives, both American and foreign.

Thank you so much for your service to our country, particularly in such uncertain times.

Sincerely,

Catherine, UT