Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Congress should put foreign-aid spending instructions into statute, arguing this could give lawmakers a legal basis to challenge an administration that diverts funds from their approved purposes.
Van Hollen told NPR in an interview published Nov. 13 that, if Democrats control the Senate, he would begin with a review of the Trump administration’s aid changes and hold public hearings. He said he wants Congress to make provisions in spending reports into binding statutory requirements. That, he argued, could give lawmakers a basis to go to court if an administration diverted funds. “We’re going to have to convert what used to be report language into real law,” Van Hollen told NPR.
He announced Nov. 12 that he would seek the Senate majority leader post in the next Congress. The Associated Press reported he is challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer for the Democratic leadership position, with the caucus vote expected in early December. Van Hollen had earlier pressed the next Democratic leader to make policy commitments, a position EconoTimes covered in its report on his call for policy pledges.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is among the agencies covered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on State Department & USAID Management, International Operations, & Bilateral International Development. The committee lists Van Hollen as ranking member of that panel, which oversees operations and reviews budgets for the State Department and USAID.
A 2025 dispute shows how Congress can shape the terms of health aid. The White House proposed rescinding $500 million from the $4 billion appropriated for fiscal 2025 Global Health Programs. Congress later enacted a $500 million rescission from unobligated balances in Public Law 119-28, approved July 24, 2025. The law protected balances for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition, and maternal and child health; it did not extend that protection to family planning and reproductive health.
The Democratic caucus is expected to hold its leadership vote in early December, the Associated Press reported.
