-- go back to the taliban days that they lost capacity to contain and effete taliban -- defeat the taliban. >> i think if they cannot defeat them, that would be the only way. >> do you support afghan security forces for the softy able -- for the foreseeable future? >> it continues to be the right number and right distribution throughout the country. >> the cost would be what? >> we are working hard, it is about 4.1 billion this year work hard to save where we can and i think about $3.8 billion is what i came up with for 16. >> it is in our national interest to spent $3.8 billion

to sustain this force? >> i think the small investment for the afghan security forces continues to provide the ability to protect our country and provide for a more stable afghanistan. a safer afghanistan is a safer united states. >> i don't know what $3.8 billion is of the total federal budget, probably not a lot but it is a lot to me but i think the return on that investment is a norm us. we keep their army -- is enormous. we keep their army intact and they will keep fighting. the president suggested that when he visited the united states he would like the opportunity to thank the american people and suggested whether or not a joint session of congress appearance would be possible, you think that would help the overall relationship? >> president ghani thanks the american people everywhere, if he had the opportunity to do

that with the joint session of congress that would be good. >> a lot of us were on the trip will send a letter, this is the one appearance i think we would all support. i cannot tell you how hopeful i am under president ghani's leadership that we are smart enough to see this through and i think we will have a good outcome. i will be sending that letter along with my colleagues. if we go down to 5500 as planned, are we out completely? >> if we go to 5500, we go to couple centric, yes or -- kabul -centric. >> is not just a spot on the map it is the spiritual heart of the taliban, correct? >> if we hold onto that -- >> that is correct. >> if we hold on to that, they cannot come back? >> yes or. >> -- yes sir.

>> if we lose that will it have a splintering effect? >> it will provide the taliban momentum. >> and you believe with a presence that is relatively small we can secure the gains we have achieved and it would be smart to keep that presence at least for a while longer? >> i think we need to continue to provide the forces the special operating capabilities. >> do you agree with me that this part of the world is a dangerous part of the world. that it is tremendously beneficial to protecting -- >> i agree with that. >> do you agree with me that in iraq there is no debate about afghanistan, the only question

is will we accept the invitation in the right format. let's end this discussion with what the people want us to say. >> the afghan senior leadership on the military side has told me repeatedly that they appreciate our sacrifice and they would want us to stay. >> that is true of their political leadership also? >> that is true. >> and it is in our national interest to stay? >> as i talked about in the opening, a safer, secure afghanistan provides safety for the homeland and we have not had another 9/11 since we have been deployed and the pressure that the brave men and women continue to apply to the terror networks have prevented them from coming to the united states, i do believe that. >> senator lee? >> thank you very much, general

campbell, being here, thank you for all you do to protect our country and keep us safe. the mission in afghanistan as stated in the 2001 authorization for the use of military force was to use force against all nations, organizations and individuals deemed to have been involved in the planning authorization and commission of the attacks of september 11 or to have perpetrated them or 12 harvard those who did -- or to have harbored those who did. so the point was to prevent attacks against u.s. citizens. today, what can you tell us about the capacity of terrorist groups who may be operating in afghanistan and pakistan to launch attacks against the united states and how have the

capabilities and the ambitions of those groups trended over the last five years? how does it look today as opposed to five years ago? >> i want to give you a very general answer years? , and i would prefer to go to a classified session if you want more detail, but my read would be that based on our presence inside afghanistan with great counterterrorism capabilities, we continue to keep pressure on insurgents that would want to do harm with both afghanistan and other nations that include europe and the united states. i think over the last several years, we have been able to keep that pressure down or keep that pressure on them and that has limited their ability to launch planned attacks against our homeland. >> you feel good about the improvements that have been made on that front? >> sir, i do. >> where --

>> i feel good about the last six months that have seen on the ground in afghanistan on that. >> you had seen more progress in the last six months -- >> i have been over there for the last six months i can talk about a perspective of seeing for myself but cannot talk about before that. >> i understand, thank you. where have the insurgent groups fighting against the afghan government, where and how are they generating their funding weapons and recruits? what are we as united states and u.s. armed forces doing to disrupt those networks of funding? the supply chains for their arms? >> i would rather givedisrupt those networks of a broad general answer and discuss more in detail in the classified hearing.

as we mentioned before some of it comes from the drug trade some of it from minerals, some of it from other wealthy nations, some of it from weapons smuggling's and a long list of things that provide insurgency funding within afghanistan, i think that both president ghani understands that and dr. abdullah of the security forces understands that. >> what is your understanding of the -- >> i think they have both worked very hard to help the government, they have both given up a little bit to remove afghanistan -- to move afghanistan forward.

they couple met each other. president ghani has taken on the role of commander in chief and he has told all the chiefs of the army that there welfare is his welfare. his personally involved in every facet of the leadership, how they get resources and he continually goes to different sites to show the afghan army that he is their commander in chief, so he is showing that he cares for them and everything about them which i had never seen before. >> is the afghan government, in your opinion, on track to increase their level of word and sharing -- burden sharing? >> this year they showed us that they could provide the requisite amount we asked them to do, it will take continued time on their entire holistic economic approach and president ghani

knows he cannot do that just by himself, that he has to engage with the region. very dependent not only on the united states but the other donor nations. he will see whether he attacks this problem by visiting himself and other key leaders in the region. he talks about different agreements is making to transport agriculture outside afghanistan and to take a look at the mining industry, he is engaged. thank you general. -- >> thank you general. >> thank you general and mr. chairman. thank you again for your service and all your staff. in your opening comments, what you said about service, sacrifice and success are very powerful i think they're important for the american people to know and i appreciate your emphasis on military

families and their sacrifice and the unsung heroes of the last several years. i think one of the general themes that you are seeing is that people are applauding the success. we had general medicine last week -- general madison last week talking about the success he has seen in a whole host of areas that you listed, could be reversed, that they are fragile in many ways. the broader issues we are concerned about is a replay of what happened in iraq. as a military leader, senator kaine spoke eloquently about this a couple minutes ago. you think it is important to have condition based withdrawal dates or transition dates based on success that you have been

talking about, versus a calendar-based withdrawal? >> thank you for the question. it is important that the military commander on the ground be able to provide his best advice to senior leadership as he takes a look at the variables on the ground. the situation of the afghan security forces and those types of things. i've continued to do that for the last six months and provided options in the winter review process to my leadership that allows us the flexibility so that president ghani and the afghan people will continue to keep us on the road to success. >> so your approach is definitely conditions-based versus a date on the calendar that says we are leaving? >> there are a lot of conditions that go into the recommendations and to provide time is one of them. >> the other thing that is a big responsibility for all of us

for you and those of us in the congress, is when we are looking at our challenges, that we level with the american people, they want to know what the challenges are and they want to know we have a strategy. i think you are at the demise in that cut -- epitomizing that kind of attitude that is important with these challenges. the message that you and the president sent -- in a lot of discussion today, we have been talking about a u.s. counterterrorism mission. he says the combat mission is open -- over but we are talking about a counterterrorism mission. i think it is very important for the broader strategic applications in terms of protecting the homeland but isn't the u.s. ct mission a combat mission right now? >> there is no doubt that the

u.s. forces in afghanistan and the nato, one is a training mission and the other is a counterterrorist mission. there is no issue from the president down that we have that mission. >> i know this isn't your focus but it does seem to be a disconnect between what the president is telling the american people, we are done with combat operations and yet we have an important ct mission we are still undertaking. a disconnecti think this goes with leveling with the american people on what we are actually doing. in terms of a robust ct mission can that be supported by the current troop levels? >> i don't think i used the word robust, but we have downsized

our ct capability over the last several years, just as we downsized the other forces out there. i do think we have the requisite resources to continue with the current mission. >> would you in twice 16, if we are on this trajectory? >> i would have to make sure we have the flexibility. i think right now i would have to go back and make sure that was within the options we provided. >> thank you mr. chairman. >> general, we thank you for being here, i enjoyed our conversations and visit christmas time when i was with you in kabul. every witness before this committee and every retired military man or woman believes that we cannot have a calendar-based withdrawal from

afghanistan. we certainly don't want to see what the president described in 2000 14 am a a normal embassy presents -- in 2014, a normal embassy presence just as we have done in iraq. i am keenly appreciative of your role in the decision-making process as a leader, but it is clear that unless we change what is the course we are on, we are going to have enormous difficulties in afghanistan and i appreciate those pictures. it is also a fact that you cannot go downtown kabul without armed escort. what we thought would connect all of afghanistan is not safe

in many parts, the taliban control it. yes there has been a lot of progress, but there are a number of areas, including the fact we still haven't got a handle on this terrible thing where afghans in uniform shoot american military members. we have a long way to go. you have to speak truth to power. not just because of the fact that the situation on the ground argues for condition-based withdrawal but you always to the men and women still serving over there, because if you believe, from your assessment, that if we go to a kabul-based situation i the end of -- by the end of 2019 -- excuse me,

embassy-based situation by the end of 2016, then you have to speak up, because too many americans who already lost their lives and limbs in afghanistan and others have been there since the beginning, we cannot allow their deaths to be in vein. i strongly urge you when you counsel the president to do the right thing and we all know what the right thing is and i thank you for being here today. >> this hearing is adjourned thank you general. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> the president is currently

reviewing general campbell's recommendations ahead of the next month visit by afghan president donnie. -- ghanit. coming up, a hearing on human rights and eight in syria. -- human rights and aid in syria. john bolton, former u.s. ambassador to the united nations discusses national security challenges friday. we will have that event live starting at 12:25 p.m. eastern. later, president obama is in california to speak at the white house summit on cyber security and consumer protections. it focuses on public and private sector efforts to deal with cyber threats. it is lie that 2:15 p.m. eastern on c-span 2.

>> this sunday on "q&a" filmmaker thomas allen harris explores how african-americans have been portrayed in photographic images from slavery up until today. >> the film is based in many ways on the work of deborah willis. there also very much aware that there is this other narrative going on as well, in which black people were constructed post slavery and even before the end of slavery, as something other than human. it was part of the marketing of photographs and memorabilia and stereotypes that now would be considered crass but in many ways they are still haunting us

in terms of the weight we might see ourselves and others. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on "q&a." >> john boehner invited benjamin netanyahu to a joint meeting of congress. pacific onthursday, the senate majority whip filed a resolution welcoming the prime minister here are his remarks on the floor. >> mr. president, i want to speak on another matter, and that is an event that should be a momentous and historic event scheduled to take place on the other side of the capital next month. for the third time since he has been prime minister of israel benjamin netanyahu be speaking to a joint session of congress. in his invitation, the joint speaker indicated that the reason for his indication is a

great threat to radical islam and the iranian regime posed to our security and way of life. timely or a more critical subject for the american people to hear about from one of the world's great leaders. now, for some reason, some people are trying to turn this into a public controversy but to me and i imagine to many others it is mystifying and somewhat disappointing. the reasons for supporting and defending the nation of israel are obvious. both of our countries are pluralistic democracies with a staunch commitment to liberty equality and human rights. both of our countries are threatened by radical islam and both of our countries have responded to that threat while remaining free and open societies. those are the reasons why most americans stand with israel and

why u.s. aid to israel enjoys such overwhelming support among members of both parties here in congress. indeed, we have no closer middle eastern ally than israel, and i would argue no bigger middle eastern adversary than the country of iran. i would also argue we have no bigger foreign policy challenges than stopping the iranian drive for nuclear weapons and keeping those weapons out of the hands of terrorists. a nuclear iran would make this world a far more dangerous place. for starters, it would dramatically increase iranian leverage iranian power and iranian aggression in the middle east. just remember, this is the same regime that's continued to violently target the united states since 1979. it's the same regime that's been on the state department's terrorism blacklist since 1984. it's the same regime that not

too long ago was plotting to blow up a restaurant right here in washington, d.c. i was reminded, mr. president that in 1983, in the bombing of our embassy in beirut, a largely forgotten historical moment, that that was the beginning of america's deadly encounter with political islamist -- with the political islamist movement. it was all the birth of the shiite political entity as we know today by the name of hezbollah. supported by iran. so perhaps the most poignantly the government of iran refuses to recognize israel's right to exist and it has continually called for its destruction and has repeatedly attacked israel, either directly or through proxies. make no mistake iran's ongoing pursuit of nuclear weapons poses a tremendous threat to the united states and to our ally

israel so given the very clear and present danger to the nation of israel and the dangers they face on a perpetual basis from their neighbors in the region iron the u.s.-israel alliance has never been more important than it is today. israel's a shining model of democratic values for nations around the world. it's a great example for others to follow in the middle east. the strong cultural, religious and political ties shared by the united states and israel have helped form a bond between our countries that should never be broken. and now more than ever, the people of israel need reassurance that we remain committed to seeing that their nation is a strong and trusted ally and maintains its qualitative military edge in the face of ongoing threats from nations like iran and syria and terrorist groups likehams and

hezbollah -- like hamas and hezbollah. that's why mr. president today we have filed a resolution here in the united states senate welcoming israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu when he addresses a joint session of congress next month. this resolution reaffirms the senate's commitment to stand with israel during times of uncertainty. it reaffirms this body's strong support for israel's right to defend itself from threats to its very survival. and it reaffirms the senate's unequivocal support for the government of the two nations. as of this morning a majority of the united states senate has signed an as a cosponsor to this resolution, and just this afternoon, we are signing a dear colleague letter, which as the presiding officer knows inviting all 100 united states senators to join in support of this resolution. i hope the rest of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in welcoming the prime

minister to washington so we can continue to work together as he details in graphic detail like no one else can do the threat of a nuclear iran. during this time of such great instability and danger in the middle east, the united states cannot afford to waiver in our commitment to one of our closest >> israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will address a joint meeting of congress, and several members of congress and the vice president have announced they will not attend the speech. we will have live coverage of prime minister's netanyahu speech on c-span. >> next, two house foreign affairs sub committees post a

joint hearing on the humanitarian crisis. officials with the state department testified before members of the global human rights and middle east subcommittees about how u.s. aid is tracked and ways to better assist the syrian people. this hearing is 90 minutes. >> with all due apologies to the members who are not here yet soon we will be going back to the session and we will be voting. another members will be coming quick and when they come i will recognize them for their opening statements. the joint subcommittees will come to order. after recognizing myself, chairman smith and the ranking

members for five minutes each for our opening statement. i will not recognize any other members seeking recognition for five minutes. without objection, the prepared statements will be made a part of the record and members will have five days in which to insert statements and questions for the record. before i begin my opening remarks, i want to offer our most sincere condolences to the friends and family of kayla mueller, our thoughts and prayers are with them in this most trying of times. kayla was taken hostage while doing the military and work in syria, the subject of our hearing, helping those in such dire need of her help and all of america mourns her loss and the family's lost. the terrorists have proven once again they have no respect for

human rights rights and that is why we must redouble our efforts to this -- defeat this scourge. that will be the work she has done to defeat a countless many in syria and around the world. it is important that our government continue to respond to this humanitarian crisis, but also that we will make it a priority and not just an afterthought. with that the chair recognizes for five minutes. the fourth anniversary of the syrian conflict, and there are no signs the crisis will abate anytime soon. his intransigence has only hardened as he maintains his grasp on power thanks to the support from iran and the united states unwillingness to engage

in a comprehensive strategy. they have no intention of giving up the territory they have claimed. since president obama announced strikes against syria last september, eiffel gain more territory. -- i still -- isil gains more territory. it has tested the limits of their already strained capabilities. ted deutch and i convened for hearings on the humanitarian situation in syria. we were pleased to join congressman smith in an effort

to continue to shine a light on this aspect of the conflict that gets ignored. what we held our first hearing on the situation, 80,000 syrians had been killed and 1.5 million people had been displaced. less than two years later, those numbers have swelled. over 200,000 have been killed. more than 3 million have fled. more than half of syria's population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance. the u.s. has been the largest provider of humanitarian assistance in response to the crisis providing much-needed aid to syria, iraq, jordan, and other countries that have been impacted by the crisis. we spent nearly $3 billion at the start of the conflict, and the president's budget is seeking 1.6 billion to address a

humanitarian needs in syria and iraq. while some of this goes directly to the neighboring countries and to the ngos, the vast majority of our funding for syria went towards multilateral initiatives. i worry some of the assistance might get diverted to isil or other terrorist groups or the assad regime. while i understand there are some real and dangerous obstacles in place to reaching a maximum amount of people americans are concerned over where the $5 billion are going especially if most of it could be going through third and fourth parties as evidence shows it is. there have been reports some of the humanitarian assistance is going through middlemen when the

implementing partners cannot get access to the locations they are trying to reach. or recently, food rations have been handed out at the world food program, and they are tagged with the islamic state symbol, so there are some real and pressing problems that need to be corrected. congress and the administration, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of tax dollars. it's imperative we find the right balance of efficiency and transparency. our strategy must take into account the humanitarian crisis we are confronting today. that is why it is imperative we hope to not only here from the vital work the are doing and the lives we are saying but to conduct proper oversight. it is why i was joined by the ranking member in sending a

request to the government accountability office requesting a report to ensure our aid is reaching its intended recipient and to get a better understanding regarding visibility involving large sums of money we send through the human -- un. this is not a problem going away anytime soon, not until we defeat eiffel -- isil and assad. the u.s. cannot continue to provide billions in definitely. it is apparent -- important that we continue playing a key role in responding to this crisis and maximize our effectiveness. i am proud to yield to the ranking member of our subcommittee. >> thank you. i would like to associate myself with the chairman's remarks of the tragic death at the hands of

isis terrorists. our thoughts go out to the family and friends during this difficult time. we will continue to honor kayla's memory and life's work. i want to thank you for starting with a hearing focused on the humanitarian aspect of the conflict. the title of the hearing speaks volumes. there is no end in sight. members discuss the political and security aspect this morning. this afternoon we are here to focus on the growing humanitarian crisis. there are 12.2 million in assistance. that is the population of new york city and los angeles. the two largest cities in the united states combined.

there are 3.8 billion refugees. there are people in besieged areas. there are 9.8 million people. these numbers are staggering. the situation in syria has complicated the ability to effectively deliver aid. despite the first cross-border aid deliveries and the security council resolution it is becoming increasingly difficult to get aid into the country to its intended recipients. i hope you will speak about this. we continue to engage in a process that has yet to produce a truce in syria. syrian refugees have flooded into jordan, lebanon, and turkey in a staggering rate. in lebanon

syrian refugees make up one fourth of the population. these do not include potentially hundreds of thousands of unregistered refugees who have been absorbed into urban areas. we have to continue to support these host communities and help mitigate the strain it has placed on their resources. the united states have provided 3.5 billion in humanitarian aid. i want to make sure our aid is effective and not falling into the wrong hands. isis fighters were handing out you in food packages. -- un food packages. i encouraged to report so we can be sure it is in place.

i have eaten shocked by the lack of support coming from the international community. last year only half of the you in budget was funded. these led to the world food program -- half of the un budget was funded. i recognize most of us were unprepared to deal with the protracted crisis. we are at risk of losing an entire generation. 5.6 million children have been affected. we have seen the outbreak of formerly eradicated diseases like polio simply because children could not get vaccinations. refugee children have been in school systems that do not have the resources to shoulder these students. many have been forced to abandon school altogether to find work.

women and children have or the brunt of the humanitarian crisis. i hope some of the programs are aimed at detecting. i want to remind everyone of one critical factor. despite the brutality of isis and its devastating attacks, it is still the ruthless assad regime that remains the biggest rat. we may share a common enemy and isis, but we are partners with this deadly regime that has the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on its hands. i want to commend the work of the state. this is a tremendous challenge. we recognize the work you do is not easy. the work you do deserves to be recognized in this body and around the world.

>> thank you. i am so pleased to yield to the subcommittee chairman smith, who has made it his life's mission to fight human rights violations and to spearhead humanitarian missions. >> thank you. it is an honor and a privilege to join you. really broadcasting to all who will hear our solidarity for the victims. those men, women, and children who are being beaten and killed raped and tortured by assad and other players. thank you again. as we know, the u.n. estimates more than 200,000 have been killed. it would be terrible enough if we could count the dead in syria as collateral damage for a civil

war out of control. the truth is far more horrific. the government of bashir al-assad initiated a plan to crush. he issued chemical weapons and weapons of mass distraction to kill his own people. they have been involved in widespread killing, including children as well as hospital patients, arbitrary arrests, and imprisonment. indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas. systematic destruction of property and looting. systematic denial of food and water and prevention of medical treatment. so depraved has the assad regime been it is reported to have indiscriminately shelled

with artillery rounds. a british volunteer surgeon reported victims of government snipers would display wounds on particular days indicating they may have been targeted in a gruesome game. the syrian government came to view doctors and nurses as corroborate her's. early in the conflict the assad regime imprisoned hundreds of health workers and tortured many of them to death. others just disappeared. government forces arranged the universal principle of medical neutrality. the government is not the only violator of human rights in the region. the regime has been responsible for unlawful killings, including

hostagetaking. one rebel commander told the associated press his group released prisoners in bomb rigged cars, turning them into unwitting suicide bombers. other groups perpetrated crimes. in addition to armed groups such as the free syrian army and the offshoot isis operate within this community. half of the prewar population in syria has been displaced. gone. that is almost without precedent anywhere in the world. at least 6000 women have

reported being raped and the figure was likely much higher due to underreporting. the international rescue committee reported the primary reason for syrians to flee their country has been fear of rape. the various groups terrorizing people operate with impunity. the international criminal court has no jurisdiction over these human rights violators. even if the icc could get involved, they have indicated opposition. that is why there is a resolution to begin an independent tribunal. those who now have no fear of accountability.

it is the pattern of rwanda. the tribunal would perpetrate those, and hopefully those would be brought to justice. i want to thank you for doing this hearing. >> a powerful statement. because mr. smith's committee is not here, i would like to recognize ms. frankel to share those five minutes however you would like to divide them. ms. frankel is recognized. >> i thank you for this hearing which i believe is important. i want to share your sentiments for the loss of kayla mueller. we have heard from the administration over the past several months why we should train and arm syrian rebels.

we have a request for authorization for the use of military force. i am pleased you are here to talk about it. it is a change of pace. this is what i am interested in. not only the type of humanitarian assistance in answering some questions about whether we are effectively getting it to those who are suffering, but i am also interested in your opinion as to the humanitarian -- the role humanitarian assistance plays in the larger goal of defeating those forces like assad and i ssil that are causing pain. i am also interested in how safe it is for aid workers. i thank you.

i will yield the rest of my time. but i have to say having been on this committee for the past few weeks i keep waiting until we get to have hearings with good news. i suspect we will be waiting a long time. the scale of the human tragedy that has taken place in syria is unbelievable. no over 12 million human beings who have been dislocated. this has created enormous instability not just in syria but northern iraq and other nearby areas. a lot of my comments were echoed earlier. i would ask that when you are giving your statements, this is

part of a regional fight. part of the fight going on for 1400 years. i would like you to talk to the extent you are knowledgeable the stability of the regime in jordan because being bordered by israel and what was going on last summer in gaza with the disruptions on the west bank and what is going on with the de facto shia sunni civil war and also a war between those who believe in a radical, militant violent form of islam and those who do not. with all that going on, we have one island of stability in the middle. you don't hear about this much, but i'm deeply concerned the syrian conflict if it were to spread to the west would finally top one of the few regimes --

topple one of the few regimes we can count on as an ally. i hope when you give your comments you will talk about that. i think madam chair. it's an honor to be on the subcommittee. i think the ranking member. i have watched the human rights work. it's great to be a part of this. >> it's an honor to have you. mr. shove it of ohio. >> thank you for holding this joint hearing. -- mr. shabbit of ohio. >> it was august of 2012 the president famously declared the red line. today nearly 200,000 people have been senselessly killed. over 3 million are refugees in neighboring countries with millions more internally displaced.

as this war continues i believe this crisis will only get worse. the refugee flows have hardly diminished, and these countries are at their peak in terms of the numbers they can support. unprecedented numbers are streaming into syria to join other extremist groups, which are further exacerbating the situation. as the u.s. is the largest contributor of humanitarian assistance we need to implement a strategy that most effectively deals with this growing crisis while ensuring those in most need are receiving our support. various reports indicate u.s. assistance is reaching the hands of isis and other terrorist groups, and that is alarming. i hope today's witnesses will discuss what is being done to address this issue and all the other things my colleagues have talked about. there is a lot to talk about today. >> thank you.

>> i just want to say i look forward to hearing your information so we can come to some solutions in the middle east and work with the a ums to get resolution. >> now we turn to our witnesses. let me introduce our panelists. we are pleased to welcome the assistant secretary of the bureau of population refugees and migration at the department of state. she was detailed to the office of the un's high commissioner refugees in bangladesh and has served on the task force for kurdish refugees and displaced her since. she has been a special assistant to the undersecretary of state for global affairs. welcome. we will also hear from the

acting assistant administrator of the bureau of democracy and humanitarian assistance. he has served since the late 80's and has managed product -- project developments in eastern and southern africa as well as the west bank and gaza. more recently he has served as the director of the iraq reconstruction office in washington d.c., and as mission director in lebanon, ethiopia, and iraq. paired statements will be made as part of the record. >> thank you very much. chairman smith and members of the committee for inviting us to this important hearing on humanitarian assistance. for those uprooted by the most human made catastrophe of our kind, i am submitting my full testimony, and i am grateful for the opportunity to thank you for

your leadership and for congress for its unwavering support. the syrian crisis has claimed nearly 200,000 lives forcibly displaced half of the prewar population of .4 million people. almost 4 million have fled to neighboring countries, and many will remain in exile. the assad regime and extremist groups target innocent civilians already suffering from food shortages and preventable diseases. right now 12.2 million people inside syria need urgent humanitarian aid and half of them are children. the humanitarian response has been the most expensive in modern history. the needs have outstripped resources. although humanitarian appeals have grown exponentially, the total amount pledged has plateaued. the united states remains the single largest donor and has contributed over 3 billion since

the crisis began. the state department provided a third of all funding for the humanitarian response. that is the largest single your contribution in our nations history. roughly half of the aid has gone to victims inside of syria and to refugees and communities hosting them. over the last six months un security council resolutions enabled you in convoys to cross borders and battle lines and to reach millions of civilians that have been blockaded and under siege. in 2014 they provided aid to one out of every three syrians in need, including those in

difficult to reach areas. usaid reached half of all refugees and provides relief items from cooking pots to shoes and blankets to insulated tents to help refugee families survive the winter. our programs aid survivors elderly and disabled people, unaccompanied children and others who need service and protection. with u.s. support, the u.n. and its partners were able to triple the number of syrian children enrolled in school. the fact remains. half of syrian children are still not in school. last week we saw thousands of them while visiting the camp. it is bursting at the seams with an official tally of 35,000, but far more are seeking services not available in overwhelmed host communities. heroic efforts are underway to educate, feed, shelter, and clothes the displaced, but everything is in short supply. more than eight out of 10 syrian

refugees live outside of camp, straining resources across the region that was already economically fragile and politically volatile. syrian refugees are crowded in communities. in lebanon, one in four residents is refugee. schools and hospitals are overcrowded. municipal services cannot keep up. tensions are rising. to ease these pressures, the department is coordinating humanitarian and development assistance and providing -- funding programs with clean water and education -- economic opportunity. we have encouraged other donors to come forward, and many of them generous, including saudi arabia and kuwait. the united states is also helping resettle refugees. we have referrals from up to

10,000. thank you very much for your support. we welcome your questions. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for highlighting the needs of the syrian people and the needs of the people in their neighborhood. for me it's especially important because i grew up in the area and have lived and worked there for many years. as the assistant secretary clemens has mentioned and many of you this is the largest and most complex humanitarian crisis of all time. more than 2.2 million in need of humanitarian assistance. you mentioned new york and los

angeles. it is also about the entire population of the state of pennsylvania. we continue to do everything possible. the usaid demonstrates that commitment. four years into this conflict syrians see no end in sight to the violence. isil's abuses have been layered on top of the regime's indiscriminate killings. our partners are heroically working through all channels, often at considerable risk to reach those in need, including in regime areas of opposition. for over three years we provided emergency care to nearly 2 million patients and 300 u.s. supported facilities throughout

the area. i saw some of those patients myself last week at a hospital in jordan. the number of polio cases in syria is now down to zero. we have improved water and sanitation for 1.3 million syrians. repairing water networks, installing latrines and bathrooms. these help prevent the spread of the disease. for the third year we are working tirelessly to help the most vulnerable cope with winter, especially those living in makeshift homes and tents. so far we have distributed blankets, warm clothing and plastic sheeting to almost half a million people. we have distributed air heaters and put up windows and doors to help insulate homes. we know women and children are the most impacted in these places. we also prioritize and integrate

their production into all of our humanitarian efforts. the united states is the largest donor, providing more than $1.1 billion to date. 1.7 million in the refugee -- in neighboring countries. the food vouchers we provide so they can grow locally have injected a billion dollars into the economy of lebanon and iraq. in jordan it equals about .7% of gdp. we have a robust system for monitoring to ensure it does get to the most in need people for whom it is intended. we know serious neighbors are stretched beyond capacity, and

that is why we are also working in -- syria's neighbors are stretched beyond capacity, and that is why we are working to build systems that can withstand increased demand on services from the flow of refugees into their countries. in jordan we are working to conserve water. with the resources we built cisterns to collect rainwater in 90 schools and provided more than 2200 no interest loans so families can install rainwater harvesting systems. these efforts have saved 200,000 cubic meters of water equal to five and a half million showers. in lebanon we are working to decrease tension with refugees. following clashes in tripoli our partners work with the community to rehabilitate the old city and involve young people to reduce the appeals of

extremism. we are doing everything we can, but challenges remain. including targeted attacks, they are prime challenges. we are working to meet the needs for resources. despite many challenges, we remain committed to saving lives and to helping host communities, recognizing this is a long-term crisis. thank you for your support. thank you for this hearing, and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you for your service your dedication, your hard work in responding to this serious humanitarian crisis unfolding before us. the united states plays a critical role in the international response is the largest donor country, having contributed more than $3 billion, but as i mentioned earlier, we have a

responsibility to ensure we are being good stewards of u.s. taxpayer money and that these funds are being used to maximize efficacy and transparency. how much of the $3 billion has gone directly to neighboring countries or directly to ngos and implementing partners on the ground, and how much has gone to multilateral initiatives through you in appeals? it seems the majority of our assistance actually goes to the un and the limiting partners. also while i was confident the un security council passed resolutions calling upon all parties to allow delivery of humanitarian assistance and authorizing the you in -- the un to carry out assistance across the conflict lines, that is a fanciful notion to assume the

spillage or and actors are going to adhere to those resolutions. if they pass the u.s. has -- since they passed the u.s. has been going into the most difficult to reach areas of syria. how are these resolutions being enforced? we are seeing reports isil and others have gotten some of this assistance or that limiting partners are forced to go through middlemen to get to some of these most dangerous areas. do we have an idea of how much of our assistance is being co-opted by these belligerent actors or going through middlemen? what kind of visibility do we have? how can we ensure the billions of dollars we are providing our reaching the intended recipients and not falling into the wrong hands? do we have any oversight into how these agencies operate? is there transparency or

reporting requirements for the agencies or implementing partners, or is it more of a case of our responsibility and -- ends once we hand responsibility over to the you in -- the un? do we have enough oversight mechanisms? are they sufficient? thank you. >> thank you. that is a critical question, and i am glad you brought it up. i think we have a good news story there. it is always important that our aid gets to the right people. we realize the challenges in this crisis. we have upped the ante and increased systems for overseeing that. we actually require analysis

where they identified particular issues. in syria we are working with partners that our experience that worked in these areas before and know how to work in these areas. they are careful about taking risks, but they also understand the importance of oversight. they have instituted multiple solutions to ensure that oversight. they get the regular reports but in addition, because it is a relatively sophisticated society, syria was a middle income country. we have a system or when food is delivered they can send a picture taken with a cell phone with a barcode so we know where it went in when it arrived. multiple systems like that going on. >> let me ask about a majority

of assistance. does it go through the you in and implementing partners? -- the un and implement them partners? >> about 73% goes through those. through a joint effort in terms of collaboration. you know our objective is to get as much aid through as many channels as we can. whoever is best placed in certain circumstances are the ones we asked to deliver. to the extent they are comfortable delivering given the challenges. you asked about crossing lines and cross-border. and the resolutions have passed in the security council about 54 of those aid shipments reached about 60,000 people. that doesn't mean we are keeping up with the need. i don't want you to be led with

a good news story. the needs are vastly outstripping humanitarian aid we are able to provide. tom mentioned enhanced monitoring. we have asked for enhanced monitoring. >> my time is up. would you like for me to recognize you? >> we have to go to the floor for votes. before we leave, listening to the two of you give your testimony i think is a good reminder of why we are proud to be americans. >> thank you very much. we will be back, and mr. smith will chair the rest of the hearing.

with that we are in recess. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> we will be joined by mr. deutsch. i want to yield to him, but first let me thank you for the tremendous work you are doing saving lives. i think some people are critical of foreign aid. the administration is working to save lives. let me echo what we all said in our openings about how grateful we are for the work you are doing for people who have been displaced, the refugees, women and children being savagely

attacked and women who have been raped. i will never forget during the balkan wars i had hearings with women who had been raped and one was so traumatized, and she thought she could handle speaking with other women were experiencing. she froze. she couldn't speak. she had been so traumatized. you are helping women who have been violated. i have a question. secretary clements, you mentioned the vaccination. 2.9 million children require life-saving vaccinations. i wonder if you can break that down a little bit. they have not gotten it or some have already received it? what vaccinations are we speaking about?

i have always believed vaccinations such as antibiotics and anesthesia are among the wonders of the world in terms of how they mitigate disease. the question would be 2.9 million. what are they lacking in what is being done to get those vaccinations to them? >> thank you very much. i have to say to follow up on the point the ranking member made, it's a moment to be proud as an american in terms of what the taxpayer is doing to help provide humanitarian aid to so many in need. in terms of the vaccination question, we can take that back, but between the programs inside syria as well as in neighboring countries, and very strong network of health providers, and

through unicef and the world health organization, with a large number of implementers, there has been a great effort to vaccinate as many kids as possible. it is a core part of the health services we are providing every day. >> thanks for that question. it's important i mentioned the polio vaccine. they are able to get out to a lot of places you might not think they could. it's still not perfect. we continue to try to get out as far as they can. last week i visited one of our partners. they have been able to establish and are continuing to expand the network of field hospitals in opposition held areas across the border. that's another way we can start to push out the reach of health care including vaccination.

that's a critical issue. >> we all know from history the spanish flu epidemic has nothing to do with spain but was a terrible pandemic following world war i and infected 500 million people. the estimates are upwards of 50 million. some say more. some say less died. 5% of the world population. health services have been disrupted. 65 to 75% of pharmaceutical companies have service. i met with dr. peter, who has been here to testify. he is the leader. we have a bill that we wrote with his insightful suggestions about what it should look like. i know he said he is concerned a pandemic could rise out of syria

or the region. lack of sanitation or the other problems -- the longer the conflict goes on, and the spanish flu occurred near the end of all the bloodletting. i am wondering what your thoughts might be. i know we are far more advanced than they were in 1918. when we don't have access to contested areas or health care workers are being killed because they are trying to assist, it makes it harder, and these things can happen. >> i wonder sometimes whether you have read so much into my bio you know that my husband works on pandemic preparedness at usaid. it is a huge concern with the war that has waged on.

concerns with losing 30 years in that time at least. the medical facilities and the personnel delivering those services have been under attack. until recently some of the partners were trying to get eight out but could not put any medical help into the aid they were delivering. it is a real concern. i think we do the best we can in terms of the areas we can access. i think our support systems are much stronger in the neighboring countries. jordan lebanon and the iraqi and kurdistan region. turkey has done a tremendous amount on the health side, but that's something we need to continue to work on to try to prevent what you just outlined. >> it's all the more reason why it's important this resolution be able to work with

organizations and can move across those lines of conflict. we need to continue to support that. syrians are used to getting vaccinations, and they demand it. some people we work with are not used to it. they are used to it, so they are looking for vaccinations. that does help mitigate some of the problems. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thanks again for being so patient and for allowing us to do the other part of our job. i would like to ask about another issue i have raised several times. what are we doing to increase our support? last year the appeal was only

50% funded. if there were a political agreement tomorrow in syria at the humanitarian crisis is going to continue for years to come. how do we get our partners around the world to not only continue to care about the humanitarian crisis but to actually do their part to help alleviate suffering? >> thank you very much. this is the key issue. we have appeal levels of $8.4 billion. that is 2 billion more than last year. we are approaching a year where we are dealing with, and we have talked about this a little bit -- global humanitarian crisis. we have sudan. we have iraq. all of that adds to the attention being diverted from this crisis. i think it is very important for this hearing to take place and to continue to bring attention to it. we worked very hard with other

governments, with traditional and nontraditional donors to try to increase support. we continue that effort. we were in kuwait city at the top meeting hosted by to wait to try to the syrian response. what we are going to do this year and what happens next year and the year after? we need to continue that support for jordan. it is a high priority. it will continue. >> what is the response? >> i think, as i outlined in terms of the number of crises, the places we're asking people to put their money is increasing rather than decreasing. in saudi arabia wsb had their fundraising campaign in

december. it was saudi arabia that step forward -- stepped forward to help close the gap. that was unexpected. we saw them announce a one million dollar package for development and humanitarian support. the u.k., the secretary of state announced another 100 million pounds, so we are seeing donor stepped forward. the problem is we are not able to get to the astronomical levels in terms of trying to meet the need. >> i would make the observation that we are about to begin a debate to combat isis. we are devoting an enormous amount of resources on securing a region in addition to the security arrangement we have within the region. in particular those countries we have asked to step up and provide humanitarian assistance.

i trust in terms of engagement that those points are made loudly and clearly when we have those discussions. i want to return to the topic. that is branding. we visited jordan this past summer. we saw the syrian flag, the saudi arabian flag. we didn't see a lot of u.s. flags. i understand the problems. we would never want to put aid workers at risk, but in refugee camps and in communities the syrian people know they have the full support of the united states. >> thank you for that question. it is an issue we continue to discuss with our partners.

as you mentioned, inside syria it is very dangerous. in surrounding countries we're asking them to step up their branding. some of that goes into syria and some doesn't. it's difficult to differentiate. also, in discussions with the officials who are working in those camps to make sure they understand where the assistance is coming from, and we are able to do that from the inside syria and let people know where it comes from. 's>> a quick add. we have had a number of discussions.

the challenge has been as soon as a u.s. flag goes up it comes down. we have a requirement that u.s. flags should be on items we have actually supported particularly in jordan and places where it is quite safe. it is a challenge keeping invisible for extended periods of time. >> thank you to the witnesses. please pass on our appreciation. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and think each of you for being here. this particular issue is not as telling from the standpoint of getting the american people to act, as much as many things we see on a regular basis.

when it comes to asking people to give or to allow their behalf it's the one thing that can unite people on both sides of the aisle. the american people are very generous and caring. it's hard for them when you make comments like the american flag goes up and gets ripped down, it also makes it very difficult for a lot of people to continue to say, why give money for humanitarian purposes when they don't care? getting back to the branding issue the ranking member was talking about, i think it's important to tell the stories of the impact on lives that we really are affecting. not only in syria and jordan and some of the places where the

migration from this conflict is huge, we are making a real life difference to moms and dads and kids, and we have to do a better job of sharing that if we can. i guess my question to both of you is how, as a member of congress, can we do that? how can we do a better job of thinking the american taxpayer back home and telling the stories? we see ads all the time of starving children, and people willingly give because they believe they are making a difference. how can we do a better job of that? >> thank you congressman. i could not have said it better than the way you just did in terms of telling individual stories, because i think with

the way this war has waged on and the number of people it has affected unfortunately the public has become numb to the numbers, so to try to pull out the stories of people who are actually assisting and what important work the partners are providing everyday under difficult circumstances, to try to disentangle saving lives from the broader morass of extremist takeover of certain communities and that sort of thing we can keep it focused on the life-saving. we might have a better chance. unfortunately, we have those pictures to go along with the devastation, but the individual stories i think tell the best story. >> if i might add, thank you for that question. it is sometimes tough. there is a big story, and then

there are the individuals. even though you have 12 million people displaced yet, there has been no major malnutrition problems, a small outbreak of polio, but that was put to a stop. nobody froze to death because of the winter. it is pretty good. we have been training women in peacekeeping. it has made a difference. with women, they were able to negotiate cease-fires. in the kurdish region, the one

that negotiated an end to price fixing. they were able to step in and make a real difference to people on the ground. when i visited a hospital in northern jordan where they are getting refugees coming out, it is not only medical support, but we are providing psychosocial support. a small child had been injured. they had not only physical injuries but psychological injuries. part of our work was supporting and training women who provide psychosocial support to that child so the issues can be dealt with. >> let me close with a sincere thank you for your work but also a request on those individual stories. if you can get that to

committee, most of the members of congress can tweet and retired hundreds of thousands of people. if we don't help the american people will grow weary of giving, and if they don't see they are making a difference, it will become difficult to continue to fund worthwhile projects. thank you both. i thank you for your leadership. >> ms. frankel. >> i thank you for your service and testimony today. i know humanitarian aid by its nature the purpose is to save lives and alleviate suffering. to maintain human dignity. i was interested in your discussion, because i have heard people say when you give people

food and medicine that stop my question is -- the overriding goal of trying to defeat isis a nd assad -- i want to understand how the humanitarian aid plays into that. do the folks who are receiving the aid -- do they know that it is coming from -- do they have any idea where it is coming from? and as the humanitarian aid help shape their thoughts or ideas in your opinion? >> thank you. that is an important question. not always easy to quantify. certainly, through our programs, even within syria, our partners are working through local

organizations. they make sure that the local organizations now, even though it is on brandon, that it is coming from the u.s.. it is u.s. taxpayers that are providing the funding. the word is getting out -- not as much as we would like, and it is an ongoing challenge, but i think part of it is you have to provide the immediate humanitarian assistance, but you also need to do it, as much as possible, in a way that protects their dignity. we are trying as much as possible to move to a system of distribution of our assistance that doesn't make them totally dependent on handouts. that is part of the reason we have gone to these ration carts. ds. i have one in my pocket, here. in that way, instead of getting

a bag of rations i can of vegetable oil, they get a card and can go to a supermarket and buy the goods they need. that gives them a feeling of dignity, and it helps the local economy. >> the other question i have -- in terms of our aid workers, do we have aid workers in syria? and given what we just saw happen with caleb mueller, i think we all -- with akakayla mueller, i think we have concerns about whether our aid workers are safe. >> if i could respond to the last -- i think it was congressman boyle that mentioned this being a regional issue. when tom and i are talking about syria we will talk about iraq to. we see this as a regional issue.

in terms of the anti-isil fight this is one of those lines of effort, but it is not to battle isil it is to aid the victims and people in need. we try to keep it as a needs focus as opposed to part of the fight. it is a distinction that is important to protect the safety of humanitarian workers and allow us to continue to save lives. >> thank you for that. can you answer the question on the safety? >> yes, thank you congresswoman. it is a dangerous place. as i mentioned in my written testimony, 150 humanitarian workers have been killed over the last three years. it is something that we continually have on our minds. the partners that we are working with and through, both u.n. and international ngo's, are all

well experienced in working these kinds of regions and conflict areas. they are even more careful than we are. they were primarily through local partners. some of the u.n. folks are in there, in damascus, but in the opposition areas it is primarily the ngo's. they, in turn, work through local organizations. there is very few of our international staff going in. it is more focused with a local organizations. >> this is in syria? >> in syria. >> thank you. >> the chair recognizes. >> thank you. i appreciate your testimony today. you were sending that america's largest single donor in that region -- you were saying that you have not found people starving. if i understand that currently?

-- that correctly? are you talking about the refugees outside of syria or the ones you work with? reading my notes, it says there are a lot of nutritionally deprived people there. what is the dichotomy of the difference there? visibly. is a distinctive? >> thank you>>. it is an important distinction. within syria, they are worse off than outside. they are nutritionally deprived. by and to the point of starvation. >> my other question -- when you were going in and trying to get access, you have got to worry about assad government forces and freedom fighters and isis. it seems like one of the things i have seen on these other meetings we have had in particular it was afghan last year when we were talking to

dr. shaw, he said afghan was appropriated through usaid. they couldn't account for $300 million. as you are going from taking our aid, and i would feel a lot better if it was brandon. that is the taxpayers money. if we are sending our money over there they need to know where it is coming from. i know that is an issue in itself. as you go into those areas, one of the biggest obstacles you are running into to make sure that we have accountability of those products or whatever it is you are taking and that it is not falling in hands where the user to raise revenues? >> that is an important issue that we track very carefully. the branding issue is less about resentment and more about the protection of our partners. a are seen as working for the

americans, that could put them in danger. >> how to other countries handle that? we have given $300 billion since the beginning. have the other countries come close to that as far as monetary input? >> sure. we are about 30% of the overall giving. collectively, we are the largest single donor but no, it is burden sharing. >> you are seeing other countries step up and help out? this is only going to get worse until we have a resolution of the problem with in syria. -- within syria. i think it will end up being a regime change, which i think the rest of the world be safer for. when you are going in and putting in water, are you building infrastructures or just taking supplies and?

-- supplies in? are you putting in sewer systems, septic tanks? >> thank you. we are indeed putting in small-scale infrastructure, as much as possible, where we can in opposition held areas, even in some government areas. it is small-scale, but certainly we are doing both water and other types of local infrastructure -- repairing health clinics schools. >> when you go in to a host country that is housing refugees, is the government working with you? are you finding them an impediment? >> no, i was just referring to within syria -- but certainly in the surrounding countries, in jordan, in lebanon, and other neighboring countries we have really stepped up our programs.

we have even put in a second deputy director and increased our assistance to the jordanians to build up their assistance to handle the huge influx. additional schools, additional water and so on. >> i appreciate the work you are doing. if you could over the course of the work you do, two or three months, let us know what we can do better here to help you do better there especially on the accountability so we are not wasting our money. >> we really do appreciate the support. it is usually needed. on the water issue i will give you an example -- the international committee of the red cross has worked very hard to try to put measures in place to make clean water available for 10 million people. this is not building big waste treatment plants, it is just trying to get the system that currently exist to function.

that is just an example of the support that his been german to sleep important. >> thank you. in follow-up to your question, could you provide the committee a breakdown of what each country has pledged, and how much they have lived up to their commitment? secondly, for this new round what countries are pledging, so we can get -- 30% is certainly very generous on the part of the american public. but it would be nice to know where saudi arabia stepped up on the food issue, so we have contacts all the time with people from these countries that says do more or well done. if you could provide that, that would be very helpful. >> i can respond to that. there is, after the end of march, the kuwaitis have already invited the donors to come to kuwait for a major pledging

conference for syria and the neighboring countries. we are already encouraging our friends out there to be ready to step up with major contributions. >> would a letter from members of congress be of any help in terms of backing what you are trying to accomplish? you could give us some insights on how you think that might be -- might boost the aggregate. >> especially the parliaments of some of the countries he work with. >> thank you again. a different point of view here. thank you again for your testimony. i wanted to follow up on a line of questioning. this is one way to move up and ranking, right? send everyone else away. i think i understand your testimony of separating the

humanitarian effort from the fight. my question is, in syria for example, is isil or assad, do their forces try to keep the humanitarian aid from getting to the syrians? that is one question. >> yes, that is a very important question. it is something we watch carefully. as i mentioned, we had some pretty robust systems that is tracking our aid very carefully. truckload by truckload that goes in. we have a pretty good idea of where it is going. there has been very little pressure to divert or try to control it. when it does happen -- our

partners have worked in south somalia in places like this, so they push back very hard. if it gets to the point where they feel like they have to pay a bribe or allow some of it to go to a local official, they will stop, and we don't go into that town. there are times when we say, we can't work there. but the surrounding towns continue to get it and we find they come back and say they will let it in. >> yes, they are inhibiting humanitarian aid workers from delivering aid. just to give you an example, we talked earlier in the hearing about those and deceased areas 212,000 -- about hundred 45,000 of them are besieged by the r regime. we probably come closest your example of starvation in places

like yearbarmouk. administrative obstacles bureaucratic obstacles, barrel bombing, not being able to get into key areas. >> and in the surrounding regions, which countries are actually helping you? both with resources but our friendly -- but our friendly towards the eight efforts? >> we are fortunate to have the neighbors we do. we could go through them one by one, but jordan first and foremost. 650,000 registered refugees, and probably many more in communities. most are being supported outside the two camps. billions of dollars spent in terms of gdp are lost economic

revenue -- there is a tremendous outpouring of generosity and support from these neighbors to welcome refugees in. the welcome mat is starting to wear thin because of how many refugees there are. the burdens in terms of economic systems and infrastructure and water. but i think in every circumstance, every of those five, we have support from the government in terms of being able to help us help them, in terms of responding to these massive needs. >> i think i hear you saying -- this humanitarian aid is not only to reduce suffering but giving relief to some of these neighboring countries that will prevent their destabilization. >> it is a really important

point, because we try very hard not just to target aid toward the refugees who have been displaced, but also the host communities. paid in-state programs in the partners we are serving is very much dual approach. we do not want to increase tension. as you said, it is absolutely essential for regional stability. >> thank you very much. >> just a few final questions and then at my colleagues have anything further we will answer those. i think you may know -- i am the prime author of the trafficking protection act. it is a very aggressive law that seeks to protect women and children who are overwhelmingly the victims. syria is a tier three country. the recommendations talk about child soldiers.

i wondering if you can shed any light on how many child soldiers we are talking about from either side or any side. in your testimony you very strongly pointed to the barbarity of young girls in sex slavery. i wonder if any of those girls are being rescued. how many are we talking about? is there any estimate as to how much abuse is going on? what happens when there is a rescue? some young 12-year-old who has been so brutally abused -- particularly in the area of psychological treatment. you mentioned that those who are suffering trauma -- i'm wondering, too is our response integrating a faith-based response, muslim or christian with best practices for psychological health? one of the things i have learned is that the healing process the

sense of personal reconciliation with the trauma and coming to a point where a reconciliation that you were a victim is not responsible, happens more effectively in a setting where there is also the best psychological practices by psychologists being employed. i am wondering what we are doing along those lines. >> thank you. these are critical issues. as you mentioned and all of our humanitarian assistance programs, we include protection issues. in addition, we have put in $26 million specifically in protection programs, gender-based violence issues child protection, so on. included as a piece of that, we've been tracking of users

that could someday -- tracking abuses that could someday be used later. also, the state department program is continuing to try to track those kind of abuses. we will have to track and get back to you on the child soldiers. i don't know that we have a number. >> are you coordinating with the office in regards to syria? >> yes -- i can respond in terms of the trafficking. this is something that is of high priority to us. all of our programs actually have a gbv or prevention element. protection is important -- there are a couple things we have tried to do very explicitly. civil registration and identity documents, because often we find that those instances of trafficking are because they

don't have something to be able to provide for themselves in terms of livelihood. we have made a special effort to make sure that is in place. we found that the best defense is robust assistance. making sure kids are in school, for example, that information is flowing. this sort of thing -- they have a comprehensive approach to try to at least decrease the scourge. i was talking with the trafficking office yesterday about this very issue. >> for the record, anything you can provide to sex trafficking would be greatly appreciated. 85% of those killed are men. i am wondering with regards to the women and especially pregnant women, are they getting to save havens to have their children? do they have access to safe blood, for example if there is

an obstructed delivery? for has maternal mortality gone up because of the lack of that in syria, the way we have seen another war-torn areas? >> yes, a critical question. i think we have a partial answer but not a great answer. there are still a lot of women who aren't able to get to a proper facility, has you have mentioned. their health facilities have been targeted, especially by the regime. that has really reduce our ability to help. on the other hand, that is the major focus of our programs. i mentioned earlier that the hospital i visited in jordan last week -- they have an outreach program and are setting up field hospitals in held areas. those kinds of things -- we are trying to address that issue. certainly, in isil-held areas we

are not able to provide that kind of assistance. it is a problem, no question. >> the final question -- you mentioned that history has been made in a number of dark days. response teams in three response management teams have been deployed. could you elaborate on that? many people are wondering what is a dart. i have been in areas where they have been in operations -- could you elaborate? >> thank you. that is one of the things i think we can be proud of. it is a unique aspect of our humanitarian assistance that other countries can't do, to put people on the ground within hours and days of the crisis, whether it is a tsunami or an earthquake, or and in this

situation a conflict crisis. it is a disaster assistance response team -- we send them out to the affected area, sometimes within hours or days, or even ahead of time. they include whatever is needed in terms of technical specialties. they coordinate the assistance. ebola -- we have a huge dart their. we coordinate information by the cdc and the who. it works great. the rmt is the operations center back here at headquarters that provides all the support, that responds to your questions about what is going on, and to our leaders in the administration.

we have a dart for iraq, for syria, in jordan and turkey. we have a dart for south sudan and for ebola. >> thank you. you point out in your testimony that we have improved water and sanitation. you are absolutely right -- in times of crisis, clean water and sanitation are critical. how integrated or how expensive is our oral hydration therapy salts? diarrheal disease is one of the leading killers of children. >> thank you. i don't have the exact details and if you would like i can try to track those down. but it is certainly a part of

whatever we do in our health watch programs. there are still areas we can't reach. as i said, i think it is important that our humanitarian assistance also address some of the resilience issues so that people are not as dependent on humanitarian assistance. if they have got cleared water they are less likely to get sick. if they have a program providing flour to bakeries so people can get bread, that also helps the economy. we tried to do our humanitarian assistance in a way that builds resilience, reduces costs, and reaches out. >> you testified that 9.8 million syrians are food insecure. is that number declining or worsening? >> i think i will have to look at the exact details. i'm afraid to say it is probably declining -- or, sorry worsening.

because of the scale of the crisis. >> one final question. you pointed out that in 2011, we are extending $1.4 billion. has that impacted funding from other programs as you had to deplete some accounts? have those accounts been replenished, whether it be in africa or anywhere else, so there is no decline in assistance? >> thank you. it is thanks to you in to congress than i can say we have not taken funding from africa or other important programs to meet some of those other mega humanitarian emergencies. you appropriated a generous amount to less than 2013, 2014. again in 2015. we appreciate that hugely and you will see in terms of numbers on our congressional

presentation the significant upturn, not just in the middle east by another regions. >> thank you>>. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to go back to my question on the domino effect of humanitarian aid or not having it. i do believe in humanitarian aid, but i want to play devil's advocate. some of my colleagues mentioned it. there is so much suffering in this world, including in the united states. i would like to hear your thoughts, again, in terms of what if we did not provide this aid? what are some of the dominoes -- what we see happening? what would be worse? what is the spinoff? how does it affect somebody who

lives in florida? >> is a terrific question. in terms of not being able to provide aid we touched on this a little bit earlier in terms of regional stability. i think in terms of humanitarian aid, the best way to be able to support those that need to flee syria is being able to provide that aided to the host communities and the neighboring countries to keep that protection space open, to make it possible for people -- it is much easier for us to assist those in jordan and 11 on that it is inside syria. you would see an implosion. you would see massive malnutrition rates global acute malnutrition, mortality rates through the roof. most of the deaths now are because of the war. we would probably see a much larger humanitarian catastrophe without aid.

>> i might add -- if possible we want to get our assistance to people in their homes so they don't have to flee. they need to be able to flee if they feel they have to, that it is better to get there. that reduces the strain on the surrounding countries. as you mentioned, jordan is a critical partner for us, same with lebanon. we are very concerned with their stability. and frankly, terrorism. a young man growing up, he can't feed his family, he hasn't got a job, he is going to be much more open to the lure of people asking him to do bad things. >> thank you very much. i think i got my question answered.

>> going back to the 80 were giving -- when you go into different countries there is turkey syria lebanon -- when you are going into the different countries the human rights we stand by are going to be different than other countries. freedom of religion, freedom of expression, those kinds of things. so when the chairman brought up -- the different areas of abuses like gender abuse, women's rights how do you go about enforcing that? is it different from country to country? how do we hold government accountable? >> that is an interesting and important question, congressman.