rate and we can have transparency in our tax code. in order to go to the table to do that, as i know there's bipartisan interest in doing so, we should go to the table with as much freedom as possible. and not constrained by taking rifle shots on the floor of the house for certain pieces of the tax code that will cost the whole package the republicans are putting forget is -- forth is about $800 billion. that's a lot of money. it's important for people to know that in our budget, every year, we have a part of the budget that are called tax expenditures. they're well over $1 trillion. some of them are worthy and we want to protect them. certainly charitable deductions fall in that category. but many of them are not. and those tax expenditures, that means giving a tax break,

whether it's a special interest loophole in the tax code, to special interests, many of those tax expenditures do not create growth and they increase the deficit. and they are just like spending. they're called an expenditure because they're giving a tax break to certain special interests. how does that fit in here? we want to go to the table, put everything on the table subject it toing a notic --s a -- toing a noes tick scrutiny to -- to agnostic scrutiny that has fairness, simplicity and transparency. what the republicans are proposing this week is totally in opposition to our being able to do that effectively. what they are saying is let us take $800 billion permanently

unpaid for out of the mix and then we have less to negotiate on. and then in terms of what we can do on the other side of the budget, which are investments into the future. i have always said, and i think that most economists would agree that the best -- nothing brings more money to the treasury or reduces the deficit more than investments in education, early childhood education, k-12 higher ed, postgrad, life-long learning. that's about growth. that's about bigger paychecks, confidence to spend, demand injected into the economy jobs created, revenue produced. and it's all part of how we can go forward with a budget for the future that creates growth, reduces the deficit. and so we have this obstacle. which sounds very good. how do you vote against these

provisions which are good provisions, about nonprofits and conservation and all these other things? we agree, as i say our colleagues have introduced them. but to say that they are permanently permanently unpaid for and, again mixing some of the good with the not so good, it's like a trojan horse moving in. it looks good, but wait a minute, there's a lot in the gut of that horse that is not good for growth or for reducing the deficit. so all we're saying to everyone today is, we can come to agreement on some of the principles about tax deductions for charitable organizations. it's curious to hear our colleagues talk so movingly about people who are providing foot for hungry people, when -- food for hungry people, when very few of them want to vote for food stamps. that's a whole other issue. but it just is -- shows some inconsistency in all of this.

so just remember this one thing. if we want to have comprehensive immigration -- excuse me comprehensive -- again, comprehensive tax reform, if we want to reduce the deficit, if we want to have balance in terms of investments plus how we produce revenue, we have to do it in a comprehensive way. that's what a budget is about. and what we are doing today is to throw up, to just stack the deck against any investments in growth, because we've already taken $00 billion off the table -- $800 billion off the table if we go down this path. what we're doing today is saying, other tax reforms that we want to make for fairness are already in jeopardy because of some of what is in this. as i say, some are positive, some are not. let's be discerning in how we make the judgment. but you can't be discerning by saying, i'm going to vote for

permanent unpaid-for tax expenditures which, as i say, have a blend of positive and negative in it, but it's hard to make a distinction without seeing the whole big picture of it. so i urge my colleagues to say, while i support some of what is good in all of this i do not support permanently taking it off the table for consideration and not paying for it at this time. in order to talk this through and have a clear instead of this drive-by approach to tax policy an anti-deficit exploding spree that our colleagues are on, while they profess to be deficit hogs, while worry working this out and having -- we're working this out and having a discussion about this, we in our motion to recommit will have a one-year extension of the provision that we're talking about here so that, ok,

in the course of this time, we'll extend it as a tax extender for one year and hopefully in that time under the leadership of the budget chair who is also from the ways and means committee, understands these issues very well in fact, in his own budget would be not consistent with what he's put on the floor today -- former chair of the ways and means, now of the budget committee, no, it's the reverse. it's related. they're so related. because how we produce revenue is so esse thow we do our budget. the gentleman knows that because his own budget would be inconsistent with what is on the floor today. so i say to my colleagues, hold on. vote no on this. vote yes on the motion to recommit. which gives us a year to talk this through. but to do so in a way that

reduces the deficit, produces growth, makes bigger paychecks from that growth to increase more revenue, and to have these provisions go forth in a way that is fair that is paid for, and that is part of a comprehensive tax reform. with that again, i thank the gentleman for his exceptional leadership. the members of the ways and means committee for their courage in opposing something that has popular appeal. and there's a reason why. because they're not bad policies. it's just that they're not paid for and they're permanent and we should do this. but we should do it right. so i urge our colleagues to vote no on the bill, yes on the motion to recommit, thank the gentleman for his leadership and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california yields back. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: mr. speaker i'll yield myself 30 seconds. i want to say to the gentlelady, the minority leader, i appreciate the tone

and temperament of her remarks. i thought that was well done. i disagree with the basic premise on baseline. i won't get into the details. i talked about that a little bit before. so i have some differences of opinion on the facts that she laid out. i see it quite differently. but i thought that that was a good tone and temperament. that speaks well to the need for tax reform that's comprehensive. and we believe that this helps us move us in the right direction toward tax reform. i won't go to the baseline issues again, only to say that i think this is a positive step in the direction toward comprehensive tax reform which clearly the gentlelady meaning both parties agree is something we need to tackle. i'd like to yield four minutes to a member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from illinois, mr. roskam. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for four minutes. . mr. roskam: the gentlelady from california said that we needed

to use agnostic scrutiny when we're evaluating these and i think it's a little bit ambitious to have a roomful ofing a notics when we're all true -- roomful of ag gnostics when we're all -- of agnostics when we're all true believers, we all feel strongly. when you look at the four things we're contemplating in the bill before us today, of all four of these things, surely these four are not going to get caught up and swept away in tax reform. surely it won't be how we're treating food charities. surely it's not going to be how we're dealing with conservation easements. surely it's not how we're treating i.r. ample contributions to charities. and surely it's not trying to make private foundations and give them a sure footing. surely, these are the good things that we can all agree on

based on agnostic scrutiny. did you notice something mr. speaker? there's nobody on the other side of the aisle who has stood up today and said, oh, the food charity thing? disaster. i'm against that. or conservation easement? ridiculous. look into that a little more. or the i.r.a. contributions, be careful there. or private foundations, getting them all scared away? i'm against it. not one person said that. so what was their argument? they wrapped themselves up in process. but by wrapping themselves up in process, they've opened themselves up to a criticism because if we had gone a different route if the chairman had taken a different path, they would have said chairman ryan, why don't you start on things where there's bipartisan agreement? and here the chairman is, wringing bills to the floor that have been enthusiastically actively supported, mr. speaker by our friends on the other side of the aisle. why have they supported them?

because they're good ideas. this is where there's an incredible amount of common ground. there's been some false arguments made on the other side that are just not that persuasive and the argument went from the gentleman from texas who created the impression that if you vote yes on this, then we're not going to be able to afford meat inspectors we're not going to be able to have bridges or a cure for cancer is somehow out of our reach? spare me. mr. speaker, i'm reminded at times like this of a letter that thomas jefferson wrote in 1790 to a man named charles clay. i'm going to give you three lines from this letter that i've committed to memory because i think it deeply resonates where most americans are when they look at our house today. thomas jefferson wrote this to charles clay. he said, the ground of liberty is to be gained by inches. we must be content what we can get from time to time and eternally press forward for what

is yet to get. it takes time to persuade men even to do what is for their own good. mr. speaker, that is jefferson's admonition. no stranger to vision no stranger to the big picture, as the author of the declaration of independence. we don't walk away from tax reform, the aspiration we all have, but it is to say looking if we're going to be ayostcally scrutinizing these thing -- ayostcally scrutinizing these thing -- agnostically scrutinizing these things we ought to vote yes to the bill and move it along. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: i yield myself 30 seconds. essentially what the gentleman from illinois says, well, let's do tax reform by picking and choosing a piece or a few at a time. that's the opposite of tax reform. he described it, that's the

difference. and now let me yield three minutes to the gentleman from california mr. thompson, a very distinguished member of our committee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. thompson: i thank the gentleman for yielding. i rise today as a democratic lead on the conservation easement bill and to very regrettably say that i rise in opposition to this bill that i think so highly of. i don't disagree with the policy. i don't disagree with the need for certainty, something that's been referred to many times today. and i don't disagree that the way the republicans did it last year in the last two weeks, doing it retroactively, i don't disagree that that was the wrong way to do it. and i've worked for permanency on conservation easements ever since chairman camp and i passed the big expansion in 2006. i've been the democratic lead on

every -- in every congress to make conservation easements permanent. conservation easements are good public policy. they protect open space. they protect important ag lands. they protect important wildlife habitat. they're essential for clean air and clean water. they're essential for locally sourced, good, healthy food. they're important to hunters, to fishermen, to conservationists. they're important to people who live in rural areas and they're important to people who live in urban areas. and you know -- and nowhere is that more apparent than what happened in new york, we're able to save new york city from having to spend $8 billion in building a water filtration system because we were able to protect their watershed area in large part through conservation easements. and we all know that these are important. every one of us knows it's

important. that's why every congress, when we introduce this bill, we get upwards of and sometimes over 300 bipartisan co-authors on that bill. but the problem is, this bill isn't paid for. as you've heard a number of times. now sadly, i offered an amendment that would have totally offset the cost of the conservation easement portion of the bills that we're taking up today. it was an offset with no tax increases didn't increase anybody's taxes, didn't put the taxes on the back of somebody else, didn't shift the cost to anyone else. as a matter of fact it focused on scoff laws who have been able -- scofflaws who have been able to avoid paying their taxes because of a short statute of limitations. we just would offer to extend that statute of limitations. we could have paid for this whole thing. but unfortunately, my friends on the republican side of the house

rejected that amendment. so instead, we're here with this bill, not paid for, in-- instead, today we're going to vote on $93 billion worth of unpaid for tax bills that will add $93 billion to our deficit. now if you add that to what our republican colleagues did -- mr. levin: i yield the gentleman an additional minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: if you add that to what our colleagues did in ways and means committee this morning when they passed $225 billion of unpaid for tax expenditures, that means that just today, the republican side of this house spent $320 billion that we don't have. directly shifting the cost to our deficit and our debt. this is not tax reform. this is not paid for. it's not a good way to proceed.

i ask for a no vote. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields. the gentleman from michigan reserves. the chair recognizes the gentleman from wisconsin. mr. ryan: i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from new york, mr. reid. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. reid: i rise in support of the bill, america -- mr. reed: i rise in support of the america gives more act of 2015. in particular i want to talk about a part that's very near and dear to me, the fighting hunger act, a subpart of this bill. the ranking member and i had a conversation recently, last time this bill, this legislation was up before the house for consideration. we got a large, bipartisan vote in support of the fighting hunger provisions. i know the ranking member, the gentleman from michigan has worked extensively on this legislation. for years and years and years.

and i know in our last debate and conversation here that the ranking member, the ranking member had some --s that i questioned whether or not he cared about the people that were going to be helped by this act. i want to make it clear here today i understand that the ranking member cares about those individuals. just as i do. just as all of us, as democrats and republicans should be focusing this debate not necessarily always about the arguments of d.c. but about the people that we came here to represent and help. fighting hunger is a bipartisan issue. we unite as americans when our fellow citizens are suffering. when you look at the millions of americans that are going hungry every day, mr. speaker, we shouldn't be divisive. we shouldn't be arguing about the deep de-tails of what my

opponents on the other side are putting forth today. we should stand for those millions of americans when we say, this tax policy is going to result in tons and tons of food not going into land fills, not going into the garbage, but going onto the tables of our fellow americans that could use that food the most. the hungry. the poor. and we can argue whether there's other ways to do it and there's other things that we can do to help them, but we can agree that this is one piece of a solution to this problem that we can pass today. and move the needle. and care for our fellow americans. that's why i ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. we don't want food going into landfills. we want food to be put on the desk of the people that need it

most. we have concerns about the debt on both sides. i get it. but here's an opportunity for us to come together. i am concerned about the debt. my colleagues are concerned about the debt. but here's an opportunity for us to show the american people that sent us here that we care about them, we are listening to the american people, and we are willing to do something about it. in order to make sure that this policy results in tthis 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 the two largest cities in the united states combined. there are 3.8 million refugees in neighboring countries. there are 241,000 people inside syria. there are 9.8 million people who are food insecure. 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. an effort that would help deliver aid to those in most critical needs. syrian refugees have flooded into jordan, lebanon, and turkey in a staggering rate. jordan as 622,000 registered refugees and in lebanon and syria -- syrian refugees make up one fourth of the population. these overwhelming numbers do not conclude -- 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 has now provided over 3.5 billion in humanitarian aid. we are the largest individual donor.

i also want to make sure that our aid is affected and not falling into the wrong hands. i was troubled by reports last week that showed isis fighters were handing out un food packages. i joined in commissioning the report to be absolutely sure that the proper mechanisms are in place to spend our eight dollars most effectively. i have got to say that i have been shocked and dismayed at this crisis in the lack of support coming from the international community. last year only half of the un budget was funded. these unfulfilled pledges of resistance led to the world food program literally having to stop its operation while an emergency fund raising campaign took place. this is acceptable. i recognize most of us were -- this is unacceptable. 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 borne the brunt of the humanitarian crisis. before i close i want to remind everyone of one critical factor. despite the horrific brutality of isis and its devastating attacks in syria and iraq, and other western citizens, it is still the ruthless assad regime that remains the biggest rat. -- the biggest threat to the people. 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 its own people on its hands. finally 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 of your partners on the ground who risked their lives to help those in need, deserves to be recognized in this body and around the world. thank you for being here. >> 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. >> thank you so very much. 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 were being savagely beaten

killed, raped and tortured by , assad and other players. thank you again. as we all know since the beginning of the syrian conflict in the u.n. estimates more than 2011, 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. unfortunately the truth is far , more horrific. according to the u.n. the , government of bashir al-assad initiated a plan to crush. -- crushed opposition to his rule. he issued chemical weapons and weapons of mass distraction to kill his own people. this regime has been involved in widespread killings, including children, torture against children, as well as hospital patients arbitrary arrests, and imprisonment on a massive scale. heavy and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas.

systematic destruction of property and looting. systematic denial of food and water in some areas and , prevention of medical treatment. so depraved has the assad regime been it is reported to have indiscriminately shelled with -- shelled bakeries with artillery rounds. even though they were civilians and not militants. 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 as collaborators. early in the conflict the assad regime imprisoned hundreds of health workers and tortured many of them to death. others just disappeared.

government forces targeted worth hackers -- help workers and 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. heinous crimes against those unable to leave syria. we know this was in the testimony by secretary clements.

half of his prewar population in syria has been displaced. half of the country gone displaced. that is almost without precedent anywhere in the world. it was reported in late 2013 that at least 6000 women have reported being raped, and the figure was likely much higher due to underreporting. in fact the international rescue , committee reported the primary reason for syrians to flee their country has been fear of rape. the various groups terrorizing people in syria operate with impunity. the international criminal court has no jurisdiction over these human rights violators. although there could be a referral if they were so inclined from the security council. even if the icc could get involved, they have indicated opposition.

that is why there is a resolution to begin an independent tribunal. to begin to investigate the crimes in syria. and bring the unreality to reality. those who now have no fear of accountability. it was a pattern we had in yugoslavia rwanda, and independent court in sierra leone. the tribunal would perpetrate those, and hopefully those would be brought to justice. i want to thank you for doing this hearing. you are an extraordinary leadership. >> a powerful statement. because mr. smith's committee is -- the ranking member of 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, obviously 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 particularly 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 role humanitarian assistance plays in the larger goal of defeating those forces like assad and isil that are causing

pain. i am also interested in how safe it is for aid workers. in delivering humanitarian assistance. i thank you. i will yield the rest of my time. >> mr. boyle is recognized. >> 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.

i would just ask, and a lot of my comments were echoed earlier. so rather than being repetitive, i would just 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 the madam chair. it's an honor to be on the subcommittee. i think the ranking member. -- i think i have watched the human rights work. it's great to be a part of this. >> it's an honor to have you. >> thank you for holding this joint hearing.

>> 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. unfortunately. the refugee flows have hardly diminished, and these countries are at their peak in terms of the numbers they can support. at the same time unprecedented , numbers are streaming into syria to join iphone and -- join isil and 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. -- displaced persons. she has been a special assistant to the undersecretary of state for global affairs. and the senior emergency officer for europe during the balkan crisis. welcome. we will also hear from the acting assistant administrator , thomas stall of the bureau of , democracy and humanitarian assistance. he has served since the late -- he has served in usaid since the late and has managed project 1980's, 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. excellent panelists. we will begin with you miss clemens. 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 -- the worst human made catastrophe of our time. 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 syria's 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 2014 appeals were just over half funded, as you noted earlier. the united states remains the single largest donor and has contributed over 3 billion since the crisis began. in 2014, the state department provided a third of all funding for the humanitarian response. that $725 million is the largest single your contribution in our -- single your contribution in our country. roughly half of the aid has gone to victims inside of syria and have to refugees and communities hosting them. over the last six months un , security council resolutions enabled you in convoys to cross -- u.n. 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. but vast needs remain. half of syrian children are still not in school. last week tom stalin i 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 host communities 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. in jordan, housing shortages have doubled rents. schools and hospitals are overcrowded. municipal services cannot keep up. tensions are rising and the legal governments are tightly managing borders. to ease these pressures, the department is coordinating humanitarian and development assistance and funding programs

with clean water and economic opportunity. to both host communities and refugees. 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 received referrals from over 10,000 syrian refugees and expect to admit between one and 2000 this fiscal year, and many more in 2016 and beyond. thank you very much for your support. we welcome your questions. >> thank you very much. mr. stall. >> 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 deputy secretary assistant -- 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. it's another way to look at it. we continue to do everything possible. rf i-16 request that you mentioned, the usaid piece of it of the $735 million, 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. thanks to aggressive vaccination campaign, by the way 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 in camps. 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 crises. we also prioritize and integrate their production into all of our -- protection into all of our humanitarian efforts. as you mentioned the united states is the largest donor and the largest food donor providing , more than $1.1 billion to date. to feed 1.7 million in the neighboring countries. the food vouchers would provide to certain ventures -- refugees so they can buy locally have , injected a billion dollars into the economy of lebanon and

egypt, and iraq. in jordan it equals about .7% of gdp. we have a robust system for monitoring our humanitarian assistance to ensure it does get to the most in need people for whom it is intended. we know 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 in jordan, 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. constrained access, security, including targeted attacks against aid workers. 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.

our members thank you for your service, your dedication, your hard work in responding to this serious humanitarian crisis unfolding before us. as you both have said 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? -- through you and appeals? -- u.n. 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 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. yet since those resolutions passed, the u.s. has been going into the most difficult to reach areas of syria. how are these resolutions of full access the 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? also 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 ends once we hand responsibility over -- and the money over to the u.n. question mark --? 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. in addition to the regular quarterly and annual reports, we actually require weekly reports where they identify particular issues. remember in syria we are working that are experienced and have 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 systems to ensure that oversight. they worked through local partners, but ones that they know and they get their regular reports. but in addition to that because , it is a relatively sophisticated society, syria was

a middle income country and they actually have cell phones and so on. 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 un and third-party implementing partners or directly to the partners? >> thank you for that question chairman. about 72% of that goes through u.n. mechanisms. and another part goes to ngos 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. obviously to the extent they are

, comfortable delivering given the challenges. you asked about crossing lines and cross-border. since the resolutions have passed and the security council has about 54 of those eight shipments reach about 60,000 people in terms of the cross-border efforts. 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. we have clothes on the floor. -- votes on teh floor. 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. >> amen. >> thank you very much. we will be back, and mr. smith will chair the rest of the hearing. with that, our subcommittees are in recess. thank you. >> 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. they should know the robust efforts you, the administration

, the congress, is undertaking to save lives of the most precious and volatile people particularly women and children. again 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 idp's 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 during the balkan wars. she froze. she couldn't speak. she had been so utterly traumatized, and i know you are helping women who have been horrifically violated. thank you for that as well. i have a question.

secretary clements, you , in regards to 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 what are , 2.9 million, they lacking in what is being done to get those vaccinations to them? >> thank you very much. thank you for your kind words. i have to say to follow up on a point the ranking member made before he left, it is the moment to be proud of as an american in terms of what the u.s. taxpayer

is doing to help us provide this humanitarian aid to so many people in need. we deeply appreciate that. in terms of the vaccination question, we can take that back, but between the programs inside syria as well as in neighboring countries 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. i can speak more to the refugees side of things in terms of in the neighboring countries, but 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. that is an indication that 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 we can.

last week when i was in jordan, 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. >> let me ask you a question in regards to -- 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 with more than 73% of hospitals, and 65% to 75% of pharmaceutical companies have service. i met with dr. peter, who has

been here to testify. he is the leader. the leader on neglected tropical diseases and as a matter of fact, 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. more conditions, 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 at the end of world war i, 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. in terms of this it is a huge , concern with the war that has waged on for over four years. the concerns with losing 30 years in that time at least. as you well know the medical , facilities and the personnel delivering those services have been under attack. until recently some of the partners were trying to get aid out to, 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. in jordan in particular. in lebanon and iraq he 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. thank you. >> i might add that 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. the other may be helpful mitigating factor, syrians are used to getting vaccinations and they demand it. some refugees we work with or 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. >> ranking member deutsche. >> 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 in this committee. what are we doing to increase our support? it is really frustrating as i said in my opening statement, it is frustrating to learn that last year the appeal was only 50% funded. it is clear that even 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 more than $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 the cer. 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 donors group meeting that was hosted by kuwait 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 and other neighbors were shouldering the burden. it is a high priority. there are high levels of

involvement at our senior-level and 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. for example in saudi arabia when wsb had their fundraising campaign in december, it was saudi arabia that stepped forward to help close the gap. that was unexpected. we saw them announce a one -- $1 million 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 temporary housing with 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. it may not be on every bag because some of that goes into syria and some does not. it is difficult to differentiate but at least to put up more signs around and portray that. also, in discussions with the officials who are working in those camps to make sure they understand where the assistance is coming from. the fact that we were able to do that inside of syria in a quiet

way to let people know that local organizations we are working with and where it comes from. to get the word out. >> a quick add. we are very familiar with the example. 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 it visible for extended periods of time. >> thank you to the witnesses. i would ask if you could please pass on our appreciation. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and

thank 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 statements 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?

so i think 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. because 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 thanking 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 very much, mr. 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. i know i have relatives back home and they asked, what is happening with all of the assistance? you know there is a big story, , and then there are the individuals. that is so important. in the big story 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. from a life-saving thing nobody , froze to death because of the winter, we were able to get winterization. on a big scale, it is pretty good. even in our protection programs. for instance, we have been training women in peacekeeping. it has made a difference.

in the rural areas around damascus with women, they were , able to negotiate cease-fires. in the eastern kurdish region, the women 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. i visited with the 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. like the story you just shared. if you can get that to committee, most of the members of congress can tweet and reach hundreds of thousands of people. if we can help tell that story -- 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 yield back. i thank you for your leadership. >> ms. frankel. >> thank you, mr. chairman. 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. i maintain human dignity. i was interested in your discussion with mr. deutsch because i have heard people say when you give people food and medicine that helps shape people possible minds also. my question is the overriding goal of trying to defeat isis and the solid -- and assad and so forth, through the people receiving the aid know that it is coming from -- do they have any idea where it is coming from and it does the humanitarian aid

help shape their influence or ideas, in your opinion? >> thank you. that is an important question. it is not always easy to quantify. certainly through our aid programs, even within syria, our partners are working through local organization and they make sure the local organizations know that even though it is not granted, that they know what is coming from the u.s. and that it is u.s. taxpayers that are providing the funding for that. the word is getting out. not as much as we would like and it is an ongoing challenge but i think that is important. part of it is, yeah, 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 just doesn't make them totally dependent on handouts. that is part of the reason we have gone to these ration cards. i actually have one in my pocket here. that way, instead of getting a bag of rice and a can of vegetable oil, they get a card. they can go to a supermarket and buy the goods that they think they need. that gives them a feeling of dignity. of course, it helps the local economy. >> why don't you answer the other question i have. in terms of our aid workers first of all, do we had aid workers in syria? given what we just saw happen with kayla mueller, i think we all have a concern on whether

our aid workers in the region are safe. could you also speak to that? >> maybe if i could respond to the last and let tom respond on the other. i think it was congressman boyle that mentioned this being a regional issue and often with tom and i are talking about syria, we talk about iraq, too because we view it as a regional issue. in terms of the anti-ice will fight, humanitarian support is one of the lines of effort. 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 very important to protect the safety of humanitarian workers, allow us to continue to save lives. i just wanted to make that. >> thank you for that. can you answer the question on the safety? >> yes, to buy. certainly it is a dangerous

place. i think i mentioned in my written testimony, hundred 50 -- 150 humanitarian workers have been killed in the last years. it is something they continually have on her minds. the partners that we are working with and through u.n. and international ngos, are all ones that are well experienced in working these kind of regions and conflict areas. they are even more careful than we are. they work primarily through local partners, the ngos. some of the u.n. folks are in damascus, especially in the government held areas. in the opposition areas, it is primarily the ngos and they in turn work for local organizations. there is a very few of our international staff going in. it is more focused with a local organizations who know the scene. >> this is in syria? >> in syria, yeah. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

>> thank you, mr. chairman. i appreciate your testimony today. as you were stating that america's the largest single donor in that region, and mr. stoll, you were saying that in virtually all the places you have looked, you have not found people starving. did i hear that correctly? are you talking about the refugees that are outside of syria or the ones within syria that you work with question mark because reading my work here, it says there are a lot of nutritionally deprived people. what is the dichotomy of the difference there? is a distinctive? >> it is an important distinction, and certainly in syria they are worse off than those outside of syria. they are nutritionally the pride, but they are not to the point of starvation. >> that leads into my other

question, when you are going in and trying to get access in syria, you have to worry about the assad government forces and freedom fighters, and isis and all the other ones. it just seems that one of the things i have seen on these other meetings that we had, in particular i think afghan last year when we were talking to dr. shock, he said that afghan was appropriated $1 billion in foreign aid but they could not account for $300 million. as you are going from taking our aid, and i would feel a lot better if it was branded as the american taxpayer possible any. i agree with other people that 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 because it causes them in. as you go into those areas, what are the biggest obstacles you are running into to make sure that you have accountability of

those products or whatever it is you are taking in their and that it is not falling in hands for the revenues? >> that is the real issue, not the resentment issue. >> we have given $3 billion since the beginning of this. other countries, most of that? >> actually, we are about 30% of the overall giving last year. collectively, we are the largest single donor.

it is burden sharing. >> other countries are stepping up and helping out? this will only get worse until we have a resolution to the problem within syria. i think is going to wind up being a regime change. i think the rest of the world would be safer off and the people of syria, obviously. are you building infrastructure? are you just taking supplies in? are you putting in of wells or septic tanks or sewer systems? >> that is a critical question. we are putting in some small-scale infrastructure, as much as possible where we can in occupied areas. it's on a small scale we are doing water and other types of

infrastructure. we are repairing schools and health care centers. >> is the government working with you? are they in an adamant to making the situation is? >> i was referring to in syria and the surrounding countries you got the programs. in jordan, we have put in a second deputy director for usaid. they are building up their systems to handle this influx. additional schools, additional water systems and so on great --. >> over the course of the next two or three months, let us know what we can do better here to help you do better there so we are not wasting our money. >> we do appreciate the support.

it is usually needed. on the water issue i will give you an example. the red cross has worked closely to try to put stopgap is used in place to make clean water available for 10 million people. this is not building a big waste treatment. this is getting the system that exists to function. that is just an example of the support that has been tremendously important. >> to follow up your question, could you provide a breakdown of what each country has pledged and how much makeup lived up to their commitment? what countries are pledging? 30% is very generous on the part of the american public.

it would be nice to know where saudi arabia stepped up. we have contacts all the time with evil from these countries. if you can provide that, that would be very helpful. >> there is at the end of march the kuwaitis have invited donors to come to kuwait for a pledging conference for syria and the neighboring countries. we are already seeing our friends out there to be ready to step up with some major contributions. >> would a bipartisan letter be of any help in terms of backing what you are trying to accomplish? you could give us some insights into how that might be boosting the aggregate. >> thank you again for his i

have another point of view. thank you again for your testimony. i want to follow up on the questioning. this is one way to move up in rankings. send everybody else away. i think i understand your testimony of separating the humanitarian effort from the fight against certain forces. my question is, in syria for example, is a sonnet -- assad do they keep the aid from getting to the syrians? >> that is a very important question.

it's something that we watch carefully. as i mentioned, we had some robust systems tracking are a very carefully, literally truckload by truckload that goes in there. we have an idea of where it's going. there has been a little pressure to denver or control it when it does happen. they have worked in afghanistan and iraq and south sudan and somalia. they push back very hard. if it gets to the point where they feel they have to pay a bribe or allow some would go to a local official, they will stop and we don't go into that town. that has happened. we just say we can't work there. the surrounding towns continue to get it and we find a come back to a we will let it in after all. >> did you want to respond to

that? >> yes, they are in hesitating -- inhibiting aid. we talked about those in deceased areas, 145,000 are besieged by the regime. they are not allowing a organizations to get in. we come closest to your example of starvation in a palestinian refugee cap where it's been difficult for them to get in and provide health and food and so on. it is a bureaucratic obstacle. it's been a huge issue. >> and the surrounding regions which countries are helping you or assisting? both with resources, but our

friendly toward the efforts? >> we are so fortunate to have the neighbors that we do surrounding syria. we could go through them one by one. jordan 650,000 refugees registered in probably many more who are in communities. both are being supported outside those two camps in jordan. billions of dollars spent terms of gdp and so on. there is a tremendous outpouring of generosity and support from these neighbors to welcome refugees. the welcome mat is starting to wear thin because of how many refugees there are and the need and the burdens in terms of the economic system. i think in every circumstance, we have support from the government in terms of being able to help us help them in

terms of massive needs. >> what i hear you saying is this humanitarian aid not only is to reduce suffering but giving relief to some of these neighboring countries that will prevent destabilization. >> is a really important point. we try to healthy host communities. it's very a dual approach. we don't want to increase tensions. we see tensions rising and it's essential for regional stability. >> thank you very much, mr. chair. ideal the rest of my time. >> just a few more questions.

i am the prime author of a bill from 2000. it's a law that events -- prevents human trafficking. syria is a tier three country. the recommendations for child soldiers, can you shed any light on how a child soldiers we are talking about from any side? you strongly pointed to the barbarity of selling girls as well -- young as 12 into sex slavery. are any being rescued? is there any guesstimate as to how much of this abuse is going on? what happens when there is a

rescue? if a 12-year-old has been abused, is there psychological treatment? i am wondering is our response integrating a faith-based response, muslim or christian with best practices for psychological health? the healing process, the sense of personal reconciliation that you are a victim and not responsible for this, it happens more effectively in a faith waste setting where there is also the best psychological practices. i am wondering what we are doing along those lines.

>> thank you. as i mentioned in all of our humanitarian assistance for grams, we include protection issues. we have put in $26 million is ethically and protection programs, child protection and so on. included as a piece of that has been tracking abuses that could someday be a way of keeping records that could be used later as you mentioned the icc. the state department is continuing to track those kinds of abuses for future issues. we will have to get back to you of the child soldiers. i don't know if we have a number on that are it --.

>> this is something of high priority to us as it is to you as well. all of our programs have a prevention element. protection is important trade there are a couple of things we have tried to do very explicitly. identity documents and civil registration, those instances of trafficking are because they can't provide for themselves in terms of livelihood. we have many special effort to be sure that is in place. we found that the best defense is robust assistance, making sure kids are in school and that information is flowing. these things have a comprehensive approach to at least decrease discouraged. i was just talking with the trafficking office yesterday.

>> for the record, anything would be greatly appreciated. 85% of those killed are men. with regards to the women and especially pregnant women, are there safe venues to have the children? is there a -- access to safe blood? >> yes, a critical question. we have a partial answer, but not a great answer. there are a lot of women who are not able to get two acres -- two of proper facility. health facility have been

targeted. that has reduced our ability to help. that is a major focus of some of our programs i mentioned earlier that the hospital i visited in jordan last week has an outreach program. those kinds of things, we are trying to address the issue. in iso-il held areas we are not able to do that. >> you mentioned that history has been made in the number of teams, for response teams and three have been deployed. can you elaborate on that? the c-span audience, what is a dark?

-- dart? it is amazing how effectively they court date. >> thank you. that is one of the things that i think we as americans can be most proud of. it is a unique aspect of our assistance that other countries can't do. we can put people on the ground within hours or days of the crisis. whether it is a tsunami or an earthquake or a conflict related conflict -- crisis. we send these teams to the affected areas, literally within hours or days, sometimes a day or two ahead of time. they include whatever is needed in terms of technical specialties. they coordinate the assistance. we have a huge start with --

dart with ebola. the dark provides that platform. -- dart provides that platform. we provide all the support that response to your questions about what's going on and to our leaders in the administration. it provides an op center for that. we have a dart for iraq and a dark for syria. we have a dart for south sudan and a huge dart for ebola. >> two point testimony we root water and sanitation for 1.3 million syrians. you are right.

clean water and sanitation are critical for survival. how integrated or expensive is our ort? >> i don't have the exact details. i can try to track those down. it is a part of whatever we do in our programs wherever we are working. there are still areas we can't reach. it's important that our assistance also address some of the issues with resilience during people are not as dependent on humanitarian efforts. if they have clean water, they are less likely to get it. if we can get flour to bakeries,

people don't -- can get bread. >> 9.8 million syrians are food insecure. is that declining? >> i think -- i will have to look at the exact details -- it is probably declining. -- excuse me, worsening. the crisis is escalating. >> you have pointed a bit since 2011, you have expended impacting from other programs. i've you had to deplete from other accounts? have they been replenished whether they be in africa or anywhere else so there is no dilution of service to other

crisis areas? >> thanks to you in congress, we have not taken funding from africa or other programs to meet other humanitarian emergencies. you appropriated a generous amount to us in 2013 and 2000 working. we appreciate that usually. you will see in terms of numbers on our presentation document a significant upturn. >> thank you, mr. chairman i want to go back to my questioning on the domino effect of humanitarian aid. i do believe in humanitarian aid. i want to play the devil's advocate.

there is so much suffering all of the world. including in the united states of america. i would like to hear your thoughts on what if we did not provide this aid? what are some of the dominoes? what would be worse? what is the spinoff? how does it affect somebody who lives in florida? >> it's a terrific question. we touched on it a little bit earlier in terms of regional stability. in terms of humanitarian aid the best way to be able to support those that need to fleet syria is to be to provide that aid for the host communities to keep that protection space open. to make it possible for people.

it's easier to assist those in jordan and lebanon that it is inside syria. you would see an implosion. you would see malnutrition rates wrote -- mortality rates to the roof. >> we want to try to get our assistance to people in their homes and --. they need to be able to flee if they feel they have to. it's that are to reduce the strain on the surrounding countries. jordan is a critical partner press, the same with lebanon.

frankly, terrorism. a young man growing up, he can't feed his family. he doesn't have a job. he is much more open to the lower of people asking them to do bad day. >> thank you very much. i've got my question answered. >> going back to the aid you are giving there is turkey, syria, lebanon, jordan, iraq. when you go into different countries, the human rights are different in other countries? freedom of religion? freedom of expression? when chairman smith brought up

the different areas of abuses like gender abuse, women's rights, how do you go about enforcing that? how do we hold that government accountable? >> that's in important question. i can't remember, was it you or chairman smith asked about faith-based organizations? we do work with that. we visited with the archbishop in kurdistan. i know in jordan has been very open in meeting with religious leaders both from an islamic perspective to reduce the lower of isil and working with various

religious groups. syria was one of the most tolerant countries in the middle east before all this took place. there are many groups there that we work with. that is a way to reduce the tension that is going on. >> is there a way -- the human trafficking thing is unconscionable. gender abuse, how do you go about making -- you said you're helping those countries deal with that and you're trying to make sure that they are protected, how do you hold that government accountable? they are not living up to that standard, what do we do as far

as holding them accountable? do we not get into that? >> there are international standards is countries of signed on to through you and conventions. we can hold them accountable for those standards. >> you feel is working? do we turn a blind eye to it? i've seen that other parts of the world. is that what you see over there? >> maybe to give an example of a trafficking case or smuggling cases, the aid partners that we work with they would work with the local authorities in terms of ensuring follow-up. refugees are detained, seeking access to prisons to find out that was a rifle detention or what do process is.

that is part of the protection part of what the organizations student we support. the broader issues are part of our dialogue that go beyond the humanitarian sphere. >> you brought up 158 workers killed. is that taking into account missing ones? is that taking into account kidnapped people? do you have a sense of how many who are unaccounted were? >> as far as we know there are no americans held that are unaccounted for that we know of. most of those 150 our local syrians who are working with different organizations that we support. it's that way.

>> i appreciate your time, mr. chairman. >> thank you again for your tremendous leadership and for providing the subcommittees with your insights and incisive testimony. it does help us. we brief other rivers of congress. you are saving lives every single day. the american public -- i have traveled with some dart teams. i have never been more proud of people who were just can do in trying to make the situation better for those who lost life and property during that terrible tsunami. thank you for your leadership. this meeting is turned.

-- adjourned. >> today, mike allen sits down with an interview with the mayor of london. liberia's assistant minister of health weeks of the ebola. we will bring that to you at 10:00 on c-span3. live today, washington journal is next. the u.s. house returns for debate on a bill making small business tax exemption permanent. coming up, mike conaway of texas discusses the proposal for new

authorization against isis. >> those of us in law enforcement must redouble our efforts to resist bias and prejudice. we must understand the people we serve and protect. we must know what it feels like to be a law-abiding young black man walking on the street and encountering law enforcement. we must understand how that man acs. host: that was the fbi director speaking at georgetown university. it was a frank and personal speech.