A handful of congressional Democrats have written to President Donald Trump to protest the major cuts to the an African development foundation.
The U.S. African Development Foundation is an independent government agency — though overseen by the freshly gutted U.S. Agency for International Development — that provides grants and loans to African “grassroots enterprises and social entrepreneurs.”
The group was established by Congress in 1980 and was one of four agencies Trump deemed an “unnecessary governmental entity” in a Feb. 19 executive order, ‘Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.’
The order mandates drastic cuts to the organization, calling for its reduction down to “the minimum presence and function required by law.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and several representatives, including Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., of the House Africa Subcommittee, and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, defended the foundation in their letter to Trump on Monday.
“USADF plays a central role in strengthening the bonds between Africa and the United States by supporting local entities invested in the economic development of their countries,” the lawmakers wrote.
They reiterated an argument at the forefront of many discussions now surrounding the Trump administration, chiefly that Trump does not have the authority to abolish government organizations created by an act of Congress. The letter cites statutory language that says the foundation “shall have perpetual succession unless dissolved by an Act of Congress.”
“This unambiguous language makes it clear that only an Act of Congress – not an executive action – can dissolve or eliminate USADF. Any attempt to unilaterally dismantle the USADF through executive action violates the law and exceeds the constitutional limits of executive authority,” according to the legislators.
The lawmakers went on to say that the “statutory functions of the USADF are clearly defined and must continue as required by law,” — namely, the funding it provides to African enterprises — and that continued appropriations from Congress reinforce that principle.
“These functions are not discretionary but Congress has legally required them, and your Executive Order cannot override this obligation,” the letter reads. “The regular approval of annual appropriations… constitute an ongoing authorization of the agency’s functions that remains in force.”
“Eliminating this agency… [would] create a vacuum that adversarial powers would exploit to expand their influence,” they added.
The group ultimately contended that if the president wants to make significant changes to the foundation, those changes must be submitted to Congress.
In an effort to reduce the national debt and unnecessary government bureaucracy, the second Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to government agencies by terminating hundreds of federal contracts and terminating or placing thousands of federal employees on leave.
Many Democrats and some Republicans have said Trump’s actions violate the president’s executive powers, though the administration has maintained the president is acting within his constitutional authority.
