Washington, DC – Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressing him to explain his recent claim before Congress that no deaths have resulted from the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID and deep cuts to U.S. foreign assistance.

This assertion stands in stark contrast to extensive public reporting and internal State Department communications that document widespread suffering including starvation, disease, and deaths of vulnerable populations affected by these cuts. These reports, many published well before Secretary Rubio’s testimony, raise serious questions about what information he had at the time and what he chose to disclose to Congress.

“Secretary Rubio’s claim strains credibility,” said Ranking Member Meeks. “We have credible reports, including some that cite internal State Department communication detailing the human toll of these reckless cuts. Congress and the American people deserve answers.”

In the letter, Meeks also requests that the State Department turn over all records related to the termination of foreign assistance programs and any assessments of their impact on human lives, both retrospectively and moving forward.

A PDF copy of the letter can be found here.