Pelosi Defends Congress’s Article I Powers, Condemns Unlawful and Dangerous Shuttering of USAID

Washington, D.C. — Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee for National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, Rep. Lois Frankel, in conjunction with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Assistant Leader Joe Neguse, and the Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force on an amicus brief with 202 House Democrats standing up to the blatant executive overreach and illegal dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in the matter of American Foreign Service Association, et al. v. Trump, et al.

As the House Leaders argued in their brief, the President’s directive blatantly violated Congress’s lawmaking and spending powers as explicitly outlined in Article I of the United States Constitution, by dismantling a federal agency authorized and repeatedly funded by acts of Congress. The unlawful shuttering of USAID undermines national security and causes irreparable harm to America’s global competitiveness.

The amici curiae include lawmakers deeply engaged in the drafting of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998—which established USAID as an independent agency—and the subsequent Appropriations Acts. Their brief reaffirms that USAID must be funded as required by law, and that unilateral efforts to “feed USAID to the wood chipper” or “close it down” violate Article I of the Constitution, a position reinforced by the Continuing Resolution enacted by Congressional Republicans on March 15, 2025.

The full amicus brief is available HERE.

The shuttering of USAID, including placing thousands of workers on leave and halting nearly all congressionally approved foreign aid, undermines a critical component of the federal government responsible for global stability and American security. For nearly 40 years, USAID has played a central role in preventing crises, fostering economic opportunities abroad, and mitigating the conditions that contribute to violent extremism and instability. Scaling back its work not only weakens these efforts but also creates a vacuum for global competitors like China, Russia, and Iran to expand their influence.