'There Might've Been Some Drag Shows In Ecuador': Brian Mast Rips Biden's State Dept. Foreign Aid

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Briann Mast (R-FL) spoke about foreign aid spending.

Transcript

00:00I don't think you had much time to yield back, but thank you for relinquishing the microphone.

00:06I'm not going to recognize myself for five minutes of questioning.

00:10In my opening remarks, I used the term outcome a couple times,

00:13and I think that's one of the most important things to recognize about what's been lacking with the State Department

00:18and what needs to be the focus of the State Department.

00:21State Department is not a think tank.

00:24It's also not the Department of Defense.

00:27We don't have people in uniforms in the same way.

00:30But it is lacking some of the important things that the Department of Defense has.

00:34As I mentioned, a very clear hierarchy, a very clear structure that people follow in the same way,

00:41that has been lacking in the State Department.

00:43And I believe the measurable outcomes, again, have been lacking in the same way.

00:48I want to start by giving you a chance, in part, to respond to a few things,

00:51because there's been accusations made about somehow there's a lack of outcomes

00:56because of the actions taken by the Trump administration.

01:01And so my colleague said, the State Department was not properly resourced.

01:05I know you were in the State Department previously in your career as well.

01:09The budget's grown by about $45 billion over the last 25 years.

01:14So when we're talking about outcomes, has the State Department been $45 billion more effective over that time?

01:26I don't believe so, sir.

01:27I think that's a plain way to put it.

01:30I don't believe so either.

01:32And I think objectively, I'd be hard-pressed to find somebody that could say that it has been.

01:37The State Department, it added, between 2007 and 2024,

01:4323,000 additional jobs in that window of time.

01:47You have almost 80,000 employees, and you have accusations being leveled against you

01:55that you just don't have the resources that you need.

01:58You don't have the people in place.

02:00How on God's green earth could you get rid of 1,500 employees in this place?

02:06Well, again, we have to look at the outcomes of what was taking place.

02:11We are not a jobs program.

02:14The State Department is not.

02:15It has to be measured in outcomes.

02:16And so given that you have almost 80,000 employees, are you properly resourced or are you lacking?

02:24Do you need to be at 90,000?

02:28Thank you, Congressman.

02:29I would like to just respond by saying, as you alluded to in your opening statement,

02:39that reorganization has been necessary for a long time.

02:44And as I said, multiple administrations have tried and failed to do that.

02:49The Trump administration, under President Trump's leadership, under Secretary Rubio,

02:54has taken a very bold step to eliminate the redundant offices,

02:59to eliminate the redundant roles that were being played out under the previous structure.

03:08And with, as you said, an amount of employees and with the budget that could be streamlined.

03:18And so definitely the Secretary has taken steps to do that.

03:22And not just to do that, but to make sure that our foreign policy is being implemented in a way that's streamlined,

03:32that's expedient, that meets the needs, not just of our diplomatic partners,

03:37more importantly, that it's in line with our American interests, our national interests,

03:42our national security interests, our economic security interests,

03:45and to ensure that the future is safer and more prosperous and more secure.

03:52I thank you for those respective outcomes that you're seeking.

03:56Those are all worthy outcomes that I believe in.

04:00I wouldn't say that seeking a set number of employees is a worthy outcome.

04:06That's not a metric that I think the State Department should care about,

04:10whether it has 80,000 or whether it has 78,500.

04:16It doesn't matter.

04:17What matters are the outcomes that are achieved.

04:19And the fact of the matter is, under the Biden administration,

04:22it wasn't one or two incidents, as one of my colleagues put it,

04:26of, well, there might have been some drag shows in Ecuador,

04:29there might have been some expanded atheism in Nepal,

04:32or there might have been some little bit of transgender here.

04:35It was systemic across every continent, every country,

04:41prioritized to use the State Department for social experimentation

04:46and virtue signaling instead of measurable outcomes

04:49that made America the partner of choice, real diplomacy.

04:54And I applaud the work that's going on in the State Department

04:57to return it to what it needs to do,

04:59which is make sure that the policies being put in place

05:05are putting the United States of America first.

05:08And I'll just close my questioning by this,

05:10by saying, I believe you put the United States of America first

05:14with the State Department by always asking the questions.

05:18What does America need from a country or region?

05:21What does that country or region want

05:24from the United States of America?

05:26And if we choose to provide something,

05:30whether it's PEPFAR or anything else or an aid program

05:33or, you know, God forbid, a transgender job fair

05:36or something else stupid like that,

05:38does it get the United States of America what it needs?

05:42Because if it doesn't,

05:44then somehow we were talking past one another.

05:46We didn't have the right conversation.

05:48And I want to ensure that you have the right conversations

05:50to get this country what it needs.

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