Trump's Proposed USAID Head Knows Aid — And Politics

The White House has nominated Mark Andrew Green to what could be one the toughest jobs in the Trump administration.

The former Republican congressman from Wisconsin has been tapped to run USAID — the U.S. Agency for International Development. If confirmed, the 56-year-old Green will take over USAID at a time when global humanitarian crises are mounting. And he'll have to answer to a president who's been openly hostile to handing out American taxpayer dollars abroad.

Across the development world, Green's nomination has been widely praised.

"Mark Green is a really strong choice to head USAID," says Jeremy Konyndyk, former head of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance.

"He has very deep experience and reach within the development sector. He's currently the head of a very well-respected democracy NGO, the International Republican Institute, and before that he has been active in development policy reform conversations in D.C."

Green served four terms in Congress from 1999-2007 before being named ambassador to Tanzania by President George W. Bush. Konyndyk, now a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, says one of Green's strengths is that he has experience in both the development world and in Washington.

"He understands the politics and the political environment that he's going to be jumping into. He's a very experienced operator in terms of navigating both Capitol Hill and the internal workings of the administration. So I think he's a very strong choice." - Read More, NPR

Trump's Proposed USAID Head Knows Aid — And Politics