[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 199 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 199
Condemning woke foreign aid programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 6, 2025
Mr. Burchett submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning woke foreign aid programs.
Whereas the United States spent $2,000,000 on a transgender health grant in
Guatemala, awarded in 2024 to Asociacion Lambda for ``gender-affirming
health care'', plus economic empowerment and advocacy for trans-led
groups, with $350,000 disbursed so far;
Whereas the United States spent $20,000,000 on Iraqi Sesame Street, entitled
``Ahlan Simsim'', funded to support educational programming for children
in Iraq, with disbursements ongoing;
Whereas the United States spent $1,500,000 on diversity, equity, and inclusion
workplace programs in Serbia, a United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) grant from 2023 to 2024 to Grupa Izadji to push
diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces, aiming to boost LGBTQI+
economic engagement, with about $1,140,000 paid out so far;
Whereas the United States spent $45,000,000 on diversity, equity, and inclusion
scholarships in Burma, funded to provide diversity, equity, and
inclusion-focused educational opportunities, with details on
disbursements unavailable at this time;
Whereas the United States spent $10,000,000 on male circumcision in Mozambique;
Whereas the United States spent $250,000 on gender equality workshops in
Morocco, through a 2023 Department of State grant to Association
Marocaine pour les Droits des Femmes for workshops promoting gender
equality and women's entrepreneurship;
Whereas the United States spent $100,000 on a drag HIV awareness campaign in
South Africa;
Whereas the United States spent $85,000 on a bee conservation musical in Brazil,
funded in 2023 to raise awareness about bee conservation through a
musical performance in Sao Paulo;
Whereas the United States spent $70,000 on an Irish diversity, equity, and
inclusion musical, funded a ``live musical event'' in Ireland in 2022 to
promote United States-Ireland shared values of diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility, not a full musical, but a concert-style
gig at the United States Embassy;
Whereas the United States spent $60,000 on indigenous diversity, equity, and
inclusion training in Bolivia, through a 2023 USAID grant for diversity
and inclusion workshops for indigenous leaders in La Paz;
Whereas the United States spent $50,000 on vegan cooking classes in Kenya, and
USAID funded this 2023 program to teach plant-based cooking in Nairobi
to promote sustainability;
Whereas the United States spent $40,000 on a feminist podcast series in Chile,
funded in 2022 by the Department of State for a podcast on feminist
issues in Santiago;
Whereas the United States spent $32,000 on a transgender comic book in Peru,
through Department of State funding in 2021 to Peru's Education
Department via Fulbright for ``The Power of Education'', a comic
featuring an LGBTQ+ hero tackling social and mental health issues;
Whereas the United States spent $30,000 on a trans youth art exhibit in Vietnam,
through a 2022 Department of State grant for an art exhibit by
transgender youth in Ho Chi Minh City;
Whereas the United States spent $25,000 on a transgender opera in Colombia,
through a Department of State grant in 2022 to Universidad de los Andes
in Bogota for ``As One'', an opera about a transgender woman's coming-
of-age story, framed as public diplomacy (total project $47,020 with
non-Federal funds);
Whereas the United States spent $25,000 on a transgender fashion show in
Thailand, through a 2024 grant for a fashion show featuring transgender
designers in Bangkok;
Whereas the United States spent $20,000 on drag queen training in Pakistan,
funded in 2022 by the Department of State to train drag performers in
Pakistan as part of a cultural exchange program;
Whereas the United States spent $15,000 on a queer film festival in Ecuador,
through a 2024 grant to fund an LGBTQ+ film festival in Quito, Ecuador,
for ``public diplomacy''; and
Whereas the United States spent $10,000 on a queer poetry slam in India, through
a 2024 grant for a poetry event in New Delhi celebrating queer voices:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) is firmly opposed to funding these programs and
programs like these, viewing them as wasteful expenditures of
taxpayer dollars on frivolous or ideologically driven
initiatives;
(2) requests more oversight of Federal aid programs,
including a comprehensive audit by the Government
Accountability Office of all grants awarded by the Department
of State and United States Agency for International Development
since 2021;
(3) urges the immediate suspension of similar discretionary
grants pending a review of their alignment with core national
interests and fiscal responsibility;
(4) demands transparency by mandating public disclosure of
all grant applications, justifications, and outcomes on a
searchable online database not later than 90 days after the
date on which such a grant is awarded;
(5) recommends redirecting funds from such programs to
domestic priorities, including infrastructure repair, veteran
health care, or disaster relief efforts;
(6) encourages the inspector general of each relevant
agency to conduct annual reviews of grant efficacy, with
findings reported to Congress and made available to the public;
(7) proposes a cap on annual spending for cultural exchange
and advocacy grants abroad, limiting such expenditures to no
more than 0.1 percent of the Federal discretionary budget;
(8) insists on a requirement that all future grants over
$10,000 receive explicit congressional approval via a
streamlined review process; and
(9) expresses its intent to draft legislation prohibiting
the use of Federal funds for overseas programs promoting niche
social agendas absent a clear and direct benefit to United
States national security or economic interests.
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