Chairman Ros-Lehtinen on the Hearing: “We’re now in the sixth year of the Syrian conflict, which has brought the deaths of hundreds of thousands, caused millions to flee, and has caused millions more to be in dire need of humanitarian assistance. In response to this crisis, the United States has been the single largest contributor of humanitarian assistance, providing over $5 billion. With no end in sight to the Syrian conflict, it is absolutely vital that we ensure that the taxpayer dollars that are used in support of these efforts are being used efficiently and effectively. In continuing with this subcommittee’s ongoing oversight over the U.S. response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis, several of our Members enlisted the GAO to conduct a review of our assistance programs to find out if the State Department and USAID are doing everything possible to mitigate waste, fraud and abuse. This hearing will be an opportunity for GAO to present its findings from the review and also its recommendations to the agencies responsible for overseeing the assistance programs. It’s also an opportunity for Members to hear from the USAID Inspector General regarding USAID programs and potential risks for waste, fraud and abuse.”

Opening Statements

Witnesses


Mr. Thomas Melito
Director
International Affairs and Trade
Government Accountability Office
[full text of statement]

The Honorable Ann Calvaresi Barr
Inspector General
Office of the Inspector General
United States Agency for International Development
[full text of statement]

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Hearing transcript (PDF)