The Senate confirmation last week of our colleague Ambassador Mark Green to be USAID Administrator comes amid the struggle between the president and Congress over the administration’s proposed 30 percent cuts to foreign assistance. In this convergence of events, we see a real opportunity for Congress and the administration to do much more than debate where the burden of potential cuts might fall, and instead make lasting reforms to make our foreign assistance better able to enjoy long-term success and provide savings far beyond next year’s budget. Success will not be easy and will require significant changes to our approach to development. 

First, to make the reforms that bring lasting savings will require that we change how we define success, moving away from measuring how much we spend or how much we cut, and instead judging the progress we make towards ultimate success: ending the need for aid entirely.

Ambassador Mark Dybul serves as the co-chair of the Consensus for Development Reform and is the former Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and former U.S. Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator. Rob Mosbacher serves as co-chair of the Consensus for Development Reform and is the former President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Read the full article in The Hill.