“John Kerry has only held the office of U.S. Secretary of State for a few weeks but has already made it known that foreign aid is one of his priorities,” development blogger Tom Murphy writes in Humanosphere, adding, “Kerry says he will fight to maintain the budget of USAID and make the argument for its benefits.” The blog cites a letter Kerry wrote to Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) last week, a speech he made during his first visit to USAID headquarters since assuming the position of Secretary of State last week, and a speech made at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, “where he said, ‘Foreign assistance is not a giveaway. It’s not charity. It is an investment in a strong America and free world'” (2/20).