Counting the Days

9 Months, 21 Days Without a USAID Nominee

[2]

UPDATE, Nov 10, 2009: President Obama today nominated Rajiv Shah to head the U.S. Agency for International Development. Read InterAction President & CEO Samuel Worthington's statement on the nomination [3].

Eight months into the Obama administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) still lacks a nominee to lead the agency. Frustrated by the lack of appointed leadership at USAID, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN) sent a letter to President Obama [4] on September 22, 2009 urging the nomination of a USAID Administrator. According to the senators, the "leadership vacuum" at USAID is hampering efforts to support a bold foreign assistance reform and development agenda.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been monitoring the process for months [5] and, like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [6], are disappointed with the lack of progress. As noted by Sarah Jane Staats, Deputy Director of Outreach and Policy at the Center for Global Development, on her organization’s blog [7] this spring, USAID administrators have been nominated and confirmed by the beginning of May in the previous five presidential administrations.
 

NPR Interview: Vacancy At Helm Of U.S. Aid Agency Spurs Concerns [8]
(Interview with InterAction President & CEO Samuel Worthington and Mercy Corps President Nancy Lindborg.)

USAID_Administrator_Sign-on_Letter.pdf [5]