1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am deeply concerned about the closed-door conversations taking place about the future of foreign assistance and USAID. The blueprint for how to jam USAID's work into other organizations should not be drafted in secret. I am writing to ask you to insist on an open and public process for this decision making. The process must include you, exercising your authority, and me, exercising my right as a concerned citizen who cares very much about the very important work that USAID does. I am also concerned about the 1.5 Billion dollars NC is set to lose through the termination of USAID. Four renowned research universities (NC State, UNC, Duke, NC AT&T) receive crucial funding for agricultural research, which benefits state farmers and food supply. Another beneficiary of USAID funding is the Eleanor Crook Foundation which targets childhood malnutrition. Cutting off funding to nonprofits like this is literally taking food out of the mouths of children and weakens populations. If the goal is to improve the usage of tax dollars, then we tax-paying citizens must know where it goes. Transparency is non-negotiable. Yes, USAID helps global partners but it also benefits American citizens, farmers, and children, and we deserve to know what resources are being stripped from our futures.