The Peace Corps Has a Sexual Assault Crisis and Congress Has Let It Continue for Decades

Proposal to Sunset the Peace Corps and Redirect Funding to POHIPA

Executive Summary

This proposal recommends the complete shutdown of the Peace Corps and the permanent redirection of its funding to support the Public Option Healthcare Innovation and Pilot Act (POHIPA). The Peace Corps has suffered from decades of systemic failure to protect its female volunteers from sexual assault. Despite legislative efforts. Including the Kate Puzey Act of 2011. Internal reforms have failed to produce transparency, accountability or meaningful protection for vulnerable service members. This is not merely a failure of policy it is a moral failure of the institution.

We cannot tolerate government inaction when it comes to sexual violence. The Peace Corps has lost the trust of the public and of the volunteers it claims to serve. It is time to shut it down.

I. Justification for Dissolution

A. Systemic and Ongoing Failure

The numbers come from the Peace Corps' own data. According to a 2021 USA TODAY investigation. Rapes and forcible sexual assaults disclosed by volunteers at the end of their service nearly doubled between 2015 and 2019. One out of every three volunteers who finished service in 2019 roughly 1,280 people. Experienced a sexual assault ranging from groping to rape. 44 percent of female volunteers who finished service in 2019 were sexually assaulted in some way during their two years abroad.

Underreporting is chronic and unchanged. Roughly half of rapes and three quarters of aggravated sexual assaults experienced by the 2019 cohort. Were never reported to the agency the same rates as in 2015. Volunteers have described being blamed, disbelieved and retaliated against for coming forward. The agency repeatedly placed volunteers in locations where violence had already been reported and in at least one documented case. Placed a new volunteer with the same predatory individual a previous volunteer had already fled.

Dyan Mazurana a Tufts University professor who studies sexual violence in the international aid community. Said the Peace Corps' own statistics depict "an organization that can't get its act together" . And that the agency should shut down programs if its staff cannot ensure volunteers will be safe.

Peace Corps Gang Rape: Volunteer Says They Ignored Warnings -- Jess Smochek (ABC News)

B. Legislative Failure

The Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011. While well intentioned has failed in practice. A decade after its passage. The agency's own Inspector General had unresolved volunteer safety recommendations dating back to 2013. Including directives designed to prevent placing volunteers in dangerous locations and ensure staff complete sexual assault response training. The Sexual Assault Advisory Council created as a key reform. Went five years without issuing a public report. Independent reviews and survivor testimony confirm that safety protocols remain broken or ignored.

C. Institutional Irreparability

The problem is not isolated it is structural. Congressional testimony has documented mishandling of rape and assault cases spanning four decades. Decades of reports, reforms and hearings have produced no culture of accountability. Sexual violence is not a bureaucratic glitch it is a breach of public trust and human rights.

II. Action Plan for Shutdown

A. Legislative Action

Introduce and pass a "Peace Corps Sunset Act" to legally dissolve the Peace Corps by the end of FY 2028. Ensure the safe and honorable return of all current volunteers. Freeze new recruitment and training immediately upon passage.

B. Staff Transition and Accountability

All domestic Peace Corps staff will be offered employment assistance. Exit interviews to document institutional knowledge and misconduct. Whistleblower protections with full cooperation extended to any ongoing investigations.

C. Historical Record

An independent commission will compile and publish a final Peace Corps report. Including a public record of reported assaults and agency response failures. Along with testimony from survivors, staff and oversight bodies. The women who were failed by this institution deserve to have the truth documented permanently and publicly.

III. Redirection of Funds: POHIPA

A. Funding Transfer

Redirect the annual Peace Corps budget over $400 million per year to permanently fund and scale the Public Option Healthcare Innovation and Pilot Act (POHIPA). Establish a Permanent Health Equity Fund to support federally operated pilot hospitals in underserved American regions. Where closures have left communities without care. Data collection and outcome measurement to prove what works before scaling coverage. And community health worker jobs in underserved American communities. Providing safer local service opportunities for the same young Americans who once would have served abroad.

B. Program Philosophy

Where the Peace Corps failed to protect American volunteers abroad. This plan redeploys service dollars to protect American lives at home. Healthcare is the most urgent human need. Every dollar saved from an unfixable institution will go toward building a just and functional one.

Conclusion

I believe this is the best way to honor the memory of Kate Puzey. The Peace Corps was born in hope. But it has descended into institutional negligence and hidden harm. We cannot continue to fund an agency that fails in its most basic duty. To protect its people. It is time to end it and redirect its resources toward healing, dignity and real impact at home.

Sources

USA TODAY investigation: Sexual Assaults Rise as the Peace Corps Fails Its Volunteers (House Foreign Affairs Committee record, 2021)

TIME: Peace Corps Report Says 1 in 5 Volunteers Sexually Assaulted (2015)

ABC News: Peace Corps Gang Rape -- Volunteer Says They Ignored Warnings

Kincaid's Healthcare Proposal: The Public Option Healthcare Innovation and Pilot Act (POHIPA)

Kincaid is a moderate common sense Democrat and official candidate for Congress in Washington's 1st Congressional District. The campaign is focused on practical solutions for public safety, healthcare, economic fairness and the protection of women.

Paid for by Kincaid for Congress.

Nurse Assault Prevention and Accountability Act of 2027

Nurse Assault Prevention and Accountability Act of 2027 Protecting the People Who Take Care of Us Overview Protecting the People Who Protect Us Every day across America, nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and frontline healthcare workers walk into hospitals, clinics and long term care facilities not knowing whether they will be respected or threatened spat on, shoved or worse. They are not asking for praise. They are asking for protection. According to recent data nearly three out of four workplace violence incidents in the private sector occur in healthcare settings. Seventy five percent. Nurses are punched. CNAs are attacked. Emergency room staff are threatened not just during pandemics. But during routine shifts in everyday hospitals in everyday America. And yet in many states. If someone assaults a nurse throws a punch, delivers a slap or spits in their face. There may be no serious consequences whatsoever. In too many places. It is treated as a minor misdemeanor ...

Kincaid’s statement on Microsoft job cuts

A Few Words on the Recent Microsoft Job Cuts Let me be clear. I am not attacking Microsoft. And I am not looking to start a fight with them. But I do think some of their decisions deserve a closer look. Stock Buybacks vs. Real Investment Over the past ten years. Microsoft has spent roughly $170 billion on stock buybacks. That practice is not unusual among large corporations. But it raises a fair question. Instead of artificially inflating its own share price. Could some of that money have been put to better use? Invested in people, innovation and in the communities that made Microsoft what it is today? Re-examining the H-1B Visa Program We should also take a hard look at the H-1B visa program. Companies claim that America simply does not have enough skilled workers to fill key roles. Others argue that we do but that many companies prefer hiring from overseas. Because H-1B workers often accept lower wages. The data supports this. Most H-1B workers are paid less than thei...

Kincaid's statement on Olympus Spa " Olympus Spa Is the Hill I'm Willing to Die On "

Let's Save Olympus Spa I was genuinely shocked when I learned what happened to Olympus Spa in Lynnwood. I kept asking myself. How? Why? How is something like this even possible in America? At first I assumed this would never hold up in court. I thought there was no way the people of Washington had voted for this. And I was right they didn't. The voters never decided this. The state legislature did. They passed a law declaring that a biological male including one with male genitalia could be legally recognized as a woman by the state. And when Olympus Spa a women only business where patrons are nude declined entry to a biological male who identified as a woman. That person filed a complaint with the Washington State Human Rights Commission. The Commission initiated an enforcement action against the spa. Threatening prosecution unless it changed its women only policy. It did not matter that female customers were deeply uncomfortable being unclothed around biological male...

Kincaid’s Strategy to End Homelessness

Three Crises, Three Solutions: A Smarter Strategy to End Homelessness "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." By that standard America's approach to homelessness has lost its mind. We spend more every year. The crisis gets worse every year. The problem is not a lack of money and it is not a lack of compassion. It is that we keep applying one solution to three completely different problems. Homelessness is not one crisis. It is three addiction, severe mental illness and economic hardship. Each one demands a different response. Until our policy matches the cause to the cure nothing will change. Decades of Failure Billions Spent For decades agencies from HUD down to county programs have spent billions to fight homelessness. The spending goes up. The promises pile up. The encampments keep growing. Why? Because most of our programs rest on a theory that does not survive contact with reality. That if a thousand people are home...

Campaign Update: Making My Case to the Voters and the Math Behind It

March 5, 2026. Updated July 2026 with new field developments and the voter pamphlet. As the race for Washington's 1st Congressional District heats up. I want to share where things stand and why I believe this campaign represents the best path forward for Democrats who value balance, integrity and common sense. This is a crowded top two primary . The two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party preference. Seven candidates are on the August 4 ballot. Myself Kincaid challenging incumbent Representative Suzan DelBene , along with Hunter Gordon (a self described socialist), James Etzkorn (running as an independent), Catherine Hildebrand , Bryce Nickel and Mary Silva (the lone Republican). The Reality of the Field Representative DelBene will almost certainly raise the most money and lead the field in resources. She has major incumbent advantages and her public FEC candidate profile reflects the scale of her fundraising...

Proposal: No Federal Income Tax for Persons Earning $61,000 or Less

No Federal Income Tax or Tax Filing for People Earning $61,000 or Less Updated July 2026 with the latest IRS, Pentagon and NEA data. Summary This proposal would eliminate federal individual income tax liability for people earning $61,000 or less in total wage income. Simplifying the tax system for tens of millions of working Americans. While having minimal impact on federal revenue. In practical terms anyone earning approximately $29.33 per hour or less. Would pay zero federal income tax and would no longer be required to file a tax return each year. Payroll taxes , Social Security and Medicare would still be deducted from paychecks as they are today. Beyond that nothing. No additional federal tax withheld. No annual filing requirement. Rationale Based on IRS data households earning $61,000 or less. Make up approximately 50 to 60 percent of all U.S. tax filers. Yet this group contributes only 3 to 4 percent of all federal individual income tax revenue. Toughly $70 to ...

The Tragic Failure Behind the Lawrence Reed / Bethany MaGee Case

The System Failed And an Innocent Woman Paid the Price The Tragic Case of Bethany MaGee, Lawrence Reed and Why We Must Reform Civil Commitment Laws When violent repeat offenders are allowed to roam freely despite decades of documented warning signs. Innocent people are left playing Russian roulette simply by going about their daily lives. We must bring back long term psychiatric care. We must reform civil commitment laws. And we must stop pretending that what we are doing is working. Just months after Iryna Zarutska was randomly stabbed in the neck and killed on a train in North Carolina. Another horrifying attack occurred this time on a train in Chicago. According to federal prosecutors. On November 17, 2025 Bethany MaGee a 26 year old woman. Was riding the CTA Blue Line and looking at her phone when Lawrence Reed age 50. Approached her without provocation. Poured a flammable liquid on her and set her on fire. She survived critical injuries burns to more than half her bod...

Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Female Inmates Forced to Be in a Cell With Biological Men With a History of Violence

A year ago I called Olympus Spa the hill I was willing to die on. I wrote about a Korean owned women's spa in Lynnwood. Forced by the state to let biological males into a nude, women only space. I also mentioned almost in passing. A lawsuit by a former inmate named Mozzy Clark who alleged she was repeatedly sexually assaulted. By a male inmate housed at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) after he told the state he identified as a woman. That was not a passing detail. It was a preview. On April 27, 2026 the America First Policy Institute filed a federal lawsuit. Against the Washington Department of Corrections and Secretary Tim Lang. 0n behalf of Fair for All, Inc. and a 28 year old WCCW inmate named Faith Booher-Smith. The complaint alleges that on August 7, 2025 Booher-Smith was attacked from behind in the prison cafeteria by Christopher Williams. A six foot four male inmate convicted of a child sex offense. Who had been transferred to WCCW under...

The Chinese Car Ban: Who Is Congress Really Protecting?

Trade Policy · Affordability · Consumer Rights May 30, 2026 Congress wants to ban Chinese cars from American roads. The proposed Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act would make it official. But the truth is the ban is already here. It just does not have that name yet. The tariffs currently imposed on Chinese electric vehicles exceed 100 percent. That is not a trade policy. That is a prohibition with a price tag attached. I am against it. And I want to explain why. You Are Already Driving a "Chinese" Car and Do Not Know It Volvo is owned by Geely a Chinese company. Most Americans think of Volvo as a Swedish brand. They buy Volvos because they are safe, reliable and well designed. They did not buy a Chinese car. They bought a Swedish car that happens to be owned by a Chinese company. The world did not end. National security was not compromised. Life went on. Just days ago Volvo had to go to the Trump administration and negotiate a special exemption just to...

KINCAID Exploratory Committee

Today I am announcing my candidacy for Congress in Washington's 1st Congressional District. I have filed official candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. I am a Democrat challenging fellow Democrat Representative Suzan DelBene. Who has held this seat for more than 12 years. State filing was completed in May 2026 and Kincaid appears on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot. Washington State ranks among the worst states in the nation for retirees largely due to the cost of living. But affordability is unlikely to be a personal concern for Representative DelBene. Like so many career politicians. Her personal wealth has grown dramatically during her time in office. According to Quiver Quantitative. Her net worth has more than doubled since she was first elected from $60 million to an estimated $141.5 million. That may sound extraordinary but it is not unusual. More than half of all members of Congress are millionaires. I am not criticizing anyone simply for being we...

Kincaid for Congress 2028 – Washington’s 1st District

Search This Blog