Congressional over-earmarking pre-allocates more than agencies’ total budgets, crippling prioritization and evaluation and making aid vulnerable to politicized cuts.
— Shapes separation of powers, the effectiveness and legitimacy of foreign aid, and the resilience of U.S. soft-power tools.
Santi Ruiz
2025.07.31
100% relevant
The article highlights that “170% percent of USAID funds come already earmarked by Congress,” and ties this to USAID’s difficulty prioritizing and evaluating programs.
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