The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is warning that President Donald Trump’s recent moves on the international stage are putting national security at risk.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Congressman Gregory Meeks labeled Trump’s proposal that the U.S. take over the Gaza strip “preposterous.”
“It makes no sense. It’s inhumane,” he said of the eyebrow-raising idea, which Trump announced at a Tuesday press conference. A better approach, he argued, would entail working with regional allies to ensure the terror group Hamas will no longer define Gaza’s future.
Trump’s comments came at a precarious time for the region. A fragile, multi-part ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is only weeks old.
Asked if he is concerned Trump’s takeover proposal could derail the second phase of that deal, Meeks said, “It doesn’t help.”
The Queens Democrat is separately warning that another of Trump’s recent actions — dismantling a foreign aid agency — puts the U.S. at a disadvantage with other global heavyweights.
Over the past week, the president and his billionaire advisor, Elon Musk, have begun to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID — a federal agency tasked with global humanitarian work.
“Our national security is now at threat,” he said, as the Trump administration ordered personnel around the world to be put on administrative leave. “And who is looking and ready to move into these places? China, Russia.”
The White House defends the breakup of the agency, saying it will save money and ensure the distribution of foreign aid reflects the president’s agenda. Some of the agency’s work, the White House says, will be shifted to the State Department.
The shakeup at USAID is just part of a larger initiative by Trump and Musk to remake the federal government, an effort that is rapidly growing and spanning across multiple agencies.
Out of power on Capitol Hill, Democrats have limited avenues to keep them in check. Meeks pointed to two options: appealing to public opinion and the courts.
Asked if Democrats have a gameplan in the event Trump does not abide by what the courts may tell him — a scenario Meeks likened to Trump declaring himself “king” — Meeks said he hopes that his Republican colleagues will finally stand up to the leader of their own party.
What do foreign leaders make of what is happening in the United States? Meeks, who regularly talks with his counterparts overseas, said he has heard from several who are “very concerned.”
“Where they need a reliable partner, they're going to look to other places,” he said. “Where would one of those places be? China.”