1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

As your constituent, I urge you to vote against any version of H.R. 9087 (or any legislation) that would write the elimination of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) permanently into law. The case against codifying that elimination is concrete: USAID saved tens of millions of lives, protected American security at a fraction of the cost of military intervention, and delivered measurable returns on every dollar invested. The door to rebuilding remains open - unless Congress closes it by passing legislation to abolish USAID. SIX DECADES OF RESULTS: WHAT USAID BUILT Since its founding in 1961, USAID has been one of the most cost-effective instruments of American power. It helped eradicate smallpox globally. It extended life-saving HIV treatment to over 20 million people through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), reversing the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It contained disease outbreaks before they reached American shores, suppressed famines that destabilized entire regions, and strengthened fragile governments against Chinese and Russian influence. It built early-warning systems that detected threats before they required military responses. COST: LESS THAN ONE PERCENT. LIVES SAVED: 91 MILLION A peer-reviewed study in The Lancet (Cavalcanti et al., 2025) found USAID programs prevented 91 million deaths between 2001 and 2021 at less than one percent of the federal budget. No other instrument in the American arsenal produces that return. AMERICA IS ALREADY LESS SAFE USAID’s capacity is now dismantled, and the consequences are arriving. A Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2026. The United States, previously the indispensable leader in every such response since 2014, has been reported as absent. AMERICANS ARE PAYING THE PRICE The New World Screwworm was confirmed in the United States on June 3, 2026; USAID-supported programs that helped contain its northward spread are no longer funded, placing livestock at risk. Farmers have also lost a critical export market: USAID purchased over one million tons of U.S. farm products annually - wheat, soybeans, and rice - worth roughly $2 billion in sales now gone. 14 MILLION DEATHS PROJECTED BY 2030 The Lancet study projects more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030 if defunding continues, including 4.5 million children under five. Collapsed health systems and uncontained outbreaks do not respect borders. They produce refugees, instability, and pathogens that require far more costly American responses - military, medical, and economic. DO NOT VOTE TO TERMINATE USAID’S LEGAL EXISTENCE As long as USAID remains on the books, there is hope. Do not vote for any legislation which terminates USAID’s legal existence. Thank you.