WASHINGTON

Protesters interrupted a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Thursday focusing on the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The committee was examining the Trump administration's funding freeze on the agency.

"PEPFAR (US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) saves lives. Restore AIDS funding now." the protesters chanted, holding signs saying "Trump kills people with AIDS worldwide."

They were escorted out of hearing, with one police officer saying: "Get out!"

"I guess these guys don't watch the news. They didn't realize that PEPFAR was one of the many programs that did prove to be life-saving so the funding was restored,” Committee Chairman Brian Mast said referring to the protesters.

While Democrats said the administration's dismantling of the agency was "illegal," Republicans criticized USAID for wasting taxpayers' dollars on "woke" initiatives.

A group of Democratic lawmakers unveiled a bill Tuesday to protect the agency from being eliminated by the Trump administration.

Following suggestions from US tech-billionaire Elon Musk, the Trump administration initiated the shutdown of USAID’s operations both domestically and internationally, leading to widespread disruptions in global aid programs and affecting numerous non-governmental organizations and media organizations that relied on USAID funding.

USAID was established by then-President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Later, Congress established USAID as an independent agency. Therefore, the president requires an act of Congress to eliminate it. ​​​​​​​