President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has nominated Ambassador Samantha Power as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Biden also announced that he is elevating the position to the National Security Council within the White House, a signal that he will prioritize outreach to other nations.
"A leading voice for humane and principled American engagement in the world, she will rally the international community and work with our partners to confront the biggest challenges of our time," the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition said in a tweet, adding that "as USAID Administrator, she will work with our partners to confront the Covid-19 pandemic, lift up vulnerable communities, fight for the value of every human being, and advance American ideals and interests around the globe."
Power, a former war correspondent who served on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council, was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2013-2017.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has an annual budget of about $20 billion.
Biden said USAID will coordinate America's work to lead a global response to combat the coronavirus and help the most vulnerable nations.
Biden called Power, who was born in Britain to Irish parents, raised in Ireland, and became a U.S. citizen in 1993, “a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity."
Biden said USAID will coordinate America's work to lead a global response to combat the coronavirus and help the most vulnerable nations.
Biden called Power, who was born in Britain to Irish parents, raised in Ireland, and became a U.S. citizen in 1993, “a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity."
She is a close ally of former foreign and finance minister Mangala Samaraweera.
Power's last visit to the island was to deliver the keynote address at an event held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mangala Samaraweera's political career.
