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An exchange with Sen. Robert Menendez about Trump’s Central America threat revealed Green’s dilemma: He can neither represent the administration’s views, since the president doesn’t inform the administrator before publicizing his more brazen proposals, and they conflict with things Green has said in the past; nor can he advocate for his own agency’s programs when doing so would undermine the White House’s position.

The result on Wednesday was that Green was left unable to make a strong case that assistance to Central America’s Northern Triangle helps address the root causes of illegal migration — gang violence, poverty, insecurity — and protects U.S. national security.

“Do you believe that cutting off aid to countries in the Northern Triangle would ultimately benefit the United States?” Menendez asked Green.

“I believe that all of our assistance programs should serve our national interest. I believe that they do. I’m certainly open to reviews of our assistance, which we do, continuously, all the time,” Green responded, before Menendez cut him off and charged him with adopting “State Department speak.”

“Do you believe that what we’re doing in the Northern Triangle serves the interests of the United States?” Menendez asked again.

“Our assistance programs? At this point, I do,” Green said.

The exchange continued until Menendez ultimately concluded: “All of those answers are unsatisfactory to me,” and that Green had delivered, “the most unresponsive set of answers that I have had from someone before this committee.”

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