Former Congressman, Envoy Mark Green Nominated to Lead USAID
By Felicia Schwartz
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump nominated former Wisconsin congressman and onetime ambassador to Tanzania Mark Green to head the U.S. Agency for International Development, the White House said Wednesday.
Mr. Green’s nomination comes as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is looking to shake up the structure of the State Department, which is under the same budget authority as USAID. Mr. Trump’s 2018 budget calls for reorganizing and consolidating some functions of both agencies.
That budget blueprint also calls for cutting 31% of the budget for the State Department and USAID. Mr. Tillerson has floated a proposal to cut spending by 26% and by shedding 2,300 jobs through attrition and buyouts.
Lawmakers from both parties have voiced concerns about Mr. Trump’s aims to cut diplomatic funding and foreign aid. A full budget blueprint is due out this month.
Acting USAID administrator Wade Warren on Wednesday welcomed Mr. Green’s nomination and said Mr. Green has worked closely with the agency as president of the International Republican Institute and while he was the U.S. envoy to Tanzania.
“A leader in development and humanitarian assistance, Mark’s extensive experience in everything from global disease prevention to private-sector engagement will serve the American people well as he directs USAID’s efforts to advance U.S. security and prosperity and end extreme poverty,” Mr. Warren said in a statement.
Mr. Tillerson also praised Mr. Green’s selection.
“Mark will help us prioritize where America’s future development investments will be spent so that we can ensure every tax dollar advances our country’s security and prosperity,” the secretary of state said in a statement.
Mr. Green is the president of the International Republican Institute, a nonprofit that promotes democracy abroad. He served as ambassador to Tanzania from 2007 to 2009 during the George W. Bush administration and represented Wisconsin’s 8th House District as a Republican from 1999 to 2007.
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