"During these tough budget times, citizens across the world rightfully question the effectiveness of government spending, including funds spent on foreign assistance," Daniel Yohannes, chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), writes in this Foreign Policy opinion piece. "At the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. foreign aid agency with a global investment portfolio of more than $9.3 billion, we believe our assistance should be earned," he writes. "MCC is an integral part of the administration's comprehensive efforts to modernize U.S. development policies and programs, placing us at the forefront of foreign aid reform," he continues, adding, "And one of the most effective tools we have to carry out this mission is the ability to say 'no.'"