How Van Hollen plans to flex power on the foreign aid front : NPR

Key Points:

• Senator Chris Van Hollen announced his challenge to Chuck Schumer for Democratic majority leader, emphasizing the need for new leadership and criticizing the Trump administration's dismantling of U.S. global health and poverty programs.
• Van Hollen, as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee, plans to investigate the damage caused by cuts to USAID and foreign aid, highlighting reports that over 700,000 people died due to these reductions between 2025 and 2026.
• He stressed the importance of Democrats gaining majority control to use budgetary powers to prevent the Trump administration from misusing funds intended for global health, aiming to convert non-binding report language into enforceable law.
• Van Hollen criticized the Trump administration's handling of foreign aid funds, including rescinding over $500 million for global health and misusing $1.5 billion intended for public health, and vowed to hold the administration accountable through legal and congressional means.
• Looking ahead, Van Hollen rejected preserving any Trump-era global health policies but advocated for reforming and strengthening USAID's role in U.S. foreign and health policy rather than simply restoring it to its previous form.