July 15, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 118 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H5786-H5787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                    USAID BRANDING MODERNIZATION ACT

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2744) to authorize the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development to prescribe the manner in which programs 
of the agency are identified overseas, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows

                               H.R. 2744

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``USAID Branding Modernization 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR BRANDING.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development (USAID) is authorized to 
     prescribe, as appropriate, the use of logos or other insignia 
     of the USAID Identity, or the use of additional or substitute 
     markings including the United States flag, to appropriately 
     identify, including as required by section 641 of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2401), overseas programs 
     administered by the Agency.
       (b) Audit.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the United 
     States Agency for International Development shall submit to 
     Congress an audit of compliance with relevant branding and 
     marketing requirements of the Agency by implementing partners 
     funded by the USAID, including any requirements prescribed 
     pursuant to the authorization under subsection (a).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2744.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking my friend from Texas once 
again, the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul, 
for his hard work on this measure. I am glad to be a cosponsor.
  Mr. Speaker, our development efforts around the world accomplish so 
much.
  Whether it is helping build a road that links a small village to a 
trade hub, working with governments to make their justice systems more 
transparent and accountable, assisting communities to get clean 
drinking water, or expanding access to broadband internet in rural 
areas, American development work is making differences you can see in 
people's lives. It is also projecting our country's character of 
compassion and generosity.
  So when I travel around the world and I see the USAID logo--it is 
that recognizable seal of two hands clasped in friendship--on the front 
door of a new school or a wastewater treatment facility or a pallet of 
food on its way to refugees, it makes me proud. It really does.
  The people benefiting from that assistance should know where it is 
coming from, too. We should signal to the world our commitment to 
development is a core pillar of America's global engagement.
  This legislation reaffirms the obligation to brand our foreign 
assistance while continuing to provide needed flexibility to ensure we 
are not putting our partners or aid recipients at risk. It requires a 
long overdue audit to ensure that USAID projects are appropriately 
branded in the field.
  This is something Mr. McCaul and I have been working on closely 
together.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter on this issue that Mr. 
McCaul and I wrote to the USAID administrator, our former House 
colleague, Mark Green.

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                    Washington, DC, July 15, 2019.
     Mr. Mark Green,
     Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Administrator Green: We write to you today to 
     reiterate the Congressional intent behind HR 2744, the USAID 
     Branding Modernization Act, which we have introduced in the 
     116th Congress.
       Providing foreign assistance around the world demonstrates 
     the generosity of Americans, and furthers our foreign policy 
     objectives. Branding foreign assistance is always the first 
     preference, to ensure that those receiving assistance know 
     that support comes from the American people. As such, the 
     Congress believes, and has affirmed, that in general, foreign 
     assistance provided using U.S. taxpayer dollars should be 
     branded, as appropriate. This demonstrates U.S. commitment to 
     assisting those in need, be it through food aid after a 
     drought, job training to empower women entrepreneurs, or 
     life-saving vaccines to eradicate polio.
       That said, Congress acknowledges the need for discretion 
     and flexibility in branding in some instances to ensure the 
     safety and security of both implementing partners and 
     beneficiaries. This bill in no way amends that understanding, 
     or any authorities, which would impact the ability or need 
     for USAID to provide branding waivers or exemptions as 
     appropriate, with input from and ongoing communication with 
     implementing partners. As referenced in the legislation, 22 
     USC 2401 asserts that programs ``shall be identified 
     appropriately overseas''. Federal Register rules and 
     regulations under 2 CFR Part 700 provide waivers to ensure 
     that branding does not put partners or beneficiaries at risk, 
     and USAID internal guidance regarding marking and branding 
     policies remain at the discretion of the Agency.
       Finally, this bill requires an audit, conducted by the 
     Inspector General for USAID, on the compliance with relevant 
     branding and marking requirements. This is not intended to 
     re-litigate branding decisions regarding waivers or 
     exemptions that are already in place. Rather, this audit is 
     intended to provide a more comprehensive picture for USAID, 
     its implementing partners, and Congress, of the challenges to 
     successful branding and marking, and how to better 
     communicate, provide guidance, and implement, branding and 
     marking requirements.
       We appreciate USAID's ongoing efforts to save lives, reduce 
     poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people 
     emerge from humanitarian crises, to advance a free, peaceful, 
     and prosperous world. We look forward to continuing to work 
     with USAID on effective foreign assistance.
           Sincerely,
     Eliot L. Engel,
       Chairman.
     Michael T. McCaul,
       Ranking Member.

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I am glad we will be moving ahead with this 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States Agency for International Development 
does an incredible job of providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance 
to vulnerable people all around the globe.

[[Page H5787]]

  I want to take this opportunity to commend our former colleague, 
Administrator Mark Green, for his hard work at USAID. I have had many 
constructive conversations with him since becoming the lead Republican 
on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I look forward to many more. This 
bill is actually his idea.
  While the primary goal of such assistance is to save the lives of 
people in desperate need, we also want to ensure the recipients know 
that it is a gift from the people of the United States of America.
  We hear a lot about the need to maximize America's ``soft power.'' 
There is no better way to win hearts and minds than by saving lives, 
feeding hungry children, and helping impoverished populations.
  This is why I introduced the Branding Modernization Act, together 
with Chairman Engel.
  While this bill places no mandates on USAID and maintains the 
Administrator's flexibility, it does empower him to brand all of our 
humanitarian assistance.
  It also expands the tools and logos available to the Administrator 
for implementing a comprehensive branding strategy.
  Finally, it requires an audit by the agency's inspector general to 
ensure that our personnel are complying with branding regulations.
  This bill represents smart diplomacy, good governance, and the true 
compassion of the American people. I believe it deserves our unanimous 
support.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Engel again for working with 
me, as usual, on this bill as well as many others, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for 
the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, let me again thank my friend, Ranking Member McCaul, for 
his leadership on this bill.
  One of the things that makes American foreign policy unique is that 
when we are at our best, our values are at the center of everything we 
do. I think one of the most important American values is that we are a 
generous and big-hearted country. We invest in development because 
development and security go hand-in-hand, but also because it is the 
right thing to do. It allows more people to live fuller, healthier, 
more prosperous lives.
  We should take credit for that. We should let people know it is the 
United States extending a hand of friendship and assistance. That is 
the goal that this bill is pursuing.
  Mr. Speaker, I am glad to support this bill, I encourage all Members 
to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2744.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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