Michael Schiffer
Michael Schiffer served as the Assistant Administrator of the USAID Bureau for Asia from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that, he was senior advisor and counselor on the Democratic Staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 2009 to 2012, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia. Before joining the Department of Defense he was a program officer at the Stanley Foundation, a Council on Foreign Relations Hitachi International Affairs Fellow, and worked on the staff of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), including as her national security adviser and Legislative Director. Prior to that, he was Director of International Security Programs at New York University's Center for War, Peace, and the News Media
Mr. Schiffer received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and
graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and New York University.
Publications:
Michael Schiffer in the report America’s Foreign Aid Retrenchment: Implications for US-Japan Cooperation, co-authored with James Gannon and Peace Winds America, analyzing the 2025 U.S. foreign aid freeze. Date: October 10, 2025.
Article by Michael Schiffer in Just Security, “Stop-Work Order on US Foreign Aid Puts China First and America Last,” discussing the implications of the State Department’s halt on foreign assistance programs. Date: January 27, 2025.
Michael Schiffer in Just Security, “Secretary of State Rubio’s Reorganization Plan Could Offer a Chance to Rescue U.S. Foreign Assistance — If He’s Smart About It,” analyzing the implications of the proposed dissolution of USAID. Date: April 29, 2025.
Podcasts & Interviews:
Southeast Asia Radio Podcast, featuring Michael Schiffer, former Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Asia, “USAID Shutdown Impacts with Michael Schiffer,” discussing the effects of USAID program closures in Southeast Asia. Date: April 3, 2025.
A conversation with USAID Assistant Administrator Michael Schiffer on USAID’s Indo-Pacific strategy and regional engagement, hosted by CSIS and moderated by Matthew P. Goodman and Erin L. Murphy. Date: April 6, 2023.
The Asia Chessboard Podcast, featuring Michael Schiffer in “Why Aid Matters to Asia Strategy,” discussing the strategic role of U.S. foreign aid in the Indo-Pacific. Date: July 22, 2025
Michael Schiffer in Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific? Podcast, “Why Should We Care if #USAID Gets ‘Curb-Stomped’?” discussing USAID’s strategic role in U.S. foreign policy. Date: February 10, 2025.
Michael Schiffer in Just Security podcast, “What’s Next for U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Assistance?”, discussing the State Department’s reorganization. Date: May 19, 2025.