House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Meeks, Africa Subcommittee Democrats Demand Answers from Rubio on Trump Administration’s Violation of Law Requiring a U.S.-Africa[...]

Washington, D.C. - Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Sara Jacobs, Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee, and every Democrat on the Africa Subcommittee today sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers on why the State Department has failed to comply with the law requiring a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

The lawmakers expressed alarm over reports that the Administration does not plan to hold the high-level meeting critical for bolstering collaboration between the U.S. and African nations, despite a statutory requirement to do so.

"As you are aware, the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law on December 23, 2024, stipulates under Section 7803 that a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit must take place 'not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act' and then biennially thereafter. The Act also requires the Department of State to form an 'implementation unit' within the Bureau of African Affairs to coordinate the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, and stipulates that no more than 180 days after the enactment of the Act, 'the implementation unit shall consult with the appropriate congressional committees on summit planning and the fulfillment of commitments,'" wrote the Ranking Members.

"We are deeply concerned that it is now more than 250 days since the NDAA became law, and the Department of State has not communicated with Congress regarding planning for the 2025 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Reportsnow indicate the Administration does not plan to hold the Summit this year," they continued.

A PDF copy of the full letter can be found here.