Former USAID Chief Samantha Power Backs Sherman, Meeks Bill Seeking Investigation of Deaths from Trump’s USAID Dismantling

Washington, D.C. — Former U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power voiced support for legislation introduced by Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY) that would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct an independent review of deaths linked to the dismantling of USAID programs. The measure, known as the Evan Anzoo Memorial Act, is backed by all House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats.

“For decades, USAID operated with strong bipartisan backing, including — during the Biden Administration — from the Republican-led House of Representatives,” Power said. “The dismantling of USAID, which has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives and devastated livelihoods around the world, was accompanied by sweeping mischaracterizations of the agency’s work and its public servants. This lawless decision is not only one of the cruelest and deadliest acts in American history; it is an unfathomable foreign policy blunder." 

“Secretary Rubio came before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and lied to America when he claimed ‘no one has died’ from Trump’s USAID shuttering. That was a bold-faced lie – but if Republicans are so confident in his answer, they should support my legislation to have Congress’s independent, nonpartisan watchdog conduct an independent and formal review of how many people have died as a result of this evil policy,” Sherman said. “Instead, all House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans voted against this legislation in September because they are afraid of the truth.” 

“Despite numerous denials and outright obfuscation by the administration - including Secretary Rubio’s claim that no one has died as a result of U.S. foreign assistance cuts - the reality is far more damning. Millions of preventable deaths will have occurred as a direct result of Trump’s evisceration of USAID. These cruel decisions demand real accountability and oversight. The Evan Anzoo Memorial Act will help ensure the American public and Congress confront the true human consequences of these policies,” said Ranking Member Meeks. 

Despite top U.S. research institutions and publications reporting on hundreds of thousands of deaths occurring in 2025 due to the Trump Administration’s USAID’s shuttering, Secretary Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that “no one has died” from USAID’s dismantling, and that “no children are dying on [his] watch.” 

Sherman and Meek’s efforts are named after Evan Anzoo, a 5-year-old boy born with HIV and kept alive through American health aid. After the Trump Administration cut of USAID programs overnight, Evan lost access to his HIV medication and died shortly after. Evan is just one of the hundreds of thousands of USAID recipients who died after the Trump Administration stripped them of lifesaving care. 

The American people overwhelmingly support providing lifesaving foreign aid around the world; they deserve to know the true impact of the Trump Administration’s deadly dismantling of USAID and whether the Secretary of State lied before Congress. The Evan Anzoo Memorial Act will create a formal report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s watchdog, as to how many people around the world have died as a result of this policy. 

All House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats joined Sherman and Meeks in introducing this legislation: Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21), Rep. Sarah McBride (DE-AL), Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Rep. Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Rep. Bill Keating (MA-09), Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), Rep. George Latimer (NY-16), Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Rep. Julie Johnson (TX-32), Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Rep. Gabe Amo (RI-01), Rep. Ami Bera (CA-06).

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