1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to protect American and global health security by restoring USAID’s independent status and fully funding PEPFAR. Rather than cutting domestic programs or expanding the deficit, Congress can finance these vital defenses by closing high-level tax enforcement gaps. The money to secure our health already exists — it is just sitting uncollected. The core problems and the straightforward solution: - Global Health Insecurity & Severe Human Cost: Dismantling USAID and cutting programs like PEPFAR disrupts critical supply chains and antiretroviral treatments, contributing to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths worldwide and leaving Americans vulnerable to unchecked global health threats. - Loss of American Leverage & Strategic Influence: Dissolving USAID as an independent agency and scattering its programs weakens America’s strategic soft power, creating a vacuum that geopolitical rivals are actively exploiting. - Recurring Budget Crises: While Congress pushed back against initial cuts in FY2026, foreign assistance faces constant rescissions and budget battles every single cycle — threatening long-term stability. - The Obvious Revenue Solution: The IRS reports a net tax gap of roughly $606 billion in unpaid taxes every year, driven primarily by corporate evasion and high-income underreporting. Fully funding USAID’s global health infrastructure requires only a tiny fraction of the money already legally owed to the federal government. This is not just a moral issue; it is a matter of American national security, economic self-interest, and global defense. Infectious diseases do not respect borders, and suppressing outbreaks at their origin costs a fraction of managing a global pandemic at home. We do not need to choose between domestic priorities and international security, nor do we need new taxes. We simply need to collect the taxes already owed. Closing even a small portion of the $606 billion tax gap covers our global health commitments many times over while safeguarding domestic programs. To resolve these crises and secure this revenue, I ask you to take three concrete legislative actions: 1. RESTORE AND PROTECT USAID: Cosponsor H.R. 1196 (Protect U.S. National Security Act) to ensure only an act of Congress can alter USAID's independent status; support H.R. 7271 (Evan Anzoo Memorial Act) to formally track deaths caused by aid shutdowns; and oppose global health rescissions in the FY2027 appropriations bill. 2. ENFORCE ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT: Cosponsor and pass the Foreign Assistance Accountability and Oversight Act (S. 491) to require Senate confirmation of the State Department's Director of Foreign Assistance and mandate that appropriated funds be obligated within 90 days. 3. CLOSE THE TAX GAP TO PROTECT AMERICAN HEALTH: Cosponsor and pass the Stop CHEATERS Act (S. 4298 / H.R. 9736) to restore IRS enforcement against high-income tax evasion. This will generate an estimated $13 in net revenue for every $1 invested to protect lifesaving global health infrastructure without raising taxes on compliant taxpayers. Close high-level tax loopholes, enforce existing tax laws, restore USAID as an independent agency, and sustain the global health infrastructure that protects both American security and human life.