Merkley Questions OMB Nominee on USAID Cuts, Separation of Powers
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Summary
The clip shows Sen. Jeff Merkley questioning Hal Duncan, nominee for OMB Deputy Director, during a Senate Budget Committee hearing. Merkley criticizes Duncan's experience, accuses the administration of constitutional violations on war powers, tariffs, and spending, and highlights the dismantling of USAID. Merkley cites public health school estimates of roughly 500,000 child deaths from halted malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, nutrition, and dysentery programs after USAID functions were largely transferred to the State Department with major reductions. He questions whether Duncan will defend congressional appropriations and separation of powers.
Editorial Assessment
The broadcast accurately reports the hearing and core events of USAID's 2025 restructuring, including the cancellation of most programs and absorption into State. However, the prominent death toll claim draws from projections that fact-checkers rate as misleading, as available estimates point to lower confirmed figures with two-thirds children among total deaths. Context on administration reviews of aid effectiveness and congressional funding disputes is absent. Viewers miss that some tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court while others remain under different authorities, and that GAO impoundment findings predate the current term in some cases. The one-sided presentation amplifies Democratic framing without balancing data on program outcomes or legal defenses.
Key Moments
USAID dismantling transferred responsibilities to State but dramatically decreased the portfolio
Confirmed by State Department announcements and KFF timeline; 83% of programs canceled and agency dissolved in 2025.
Schools of public health estimate about 500,000 children have died from sudden shutdown of programs
Estimates exist (e.g., BU ~225k children by mid-2025; higher projections), but Merkley's specific figure rated misleading by fact-checkers as totals are lower and not solely children.
Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs unconstitutional
Feb 2026 ruling struck down IEEPA-based tariffs as exceeding statutory authority.
GAO found OMB violated separation of powers on seven occasions
GAO has issued multiple impoundment rulings against the administration, but exact count of seven not corroborated in available reports.
Notable Concerns
- Relies on disputed child mortality estimate without primary sourcing or range of studies
- Omits administration rationale for aid review and restructuring
Sources Consulted
- Merkley Opening Statement at Duncan Nomination Hearing
- The Nomination of Mr. Hal Duncan, of Texas, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Deputy White House Budget Director Nominee Testifies at Confirmation Hearing
- Quick takes: Death toll from USAID cuts, withdrawal from chikungunya vaccine funding, updated Ebola
- Supreme Court Rules Against Tariffs Imposed Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)
- What the Supreme Court's tariff ruling changes, and what it doesn't
- Supreme Court Strikes Down President Trump's Tariffs
- Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs
- Supreme Court strikes down Trump's sweeping tariffs
- Impoundment Control Act
- GAO's role in appropriations oversight
- Fact Check: Did USAID cuts kill more than 500000 children?