On the first day of his second term, President Trump An executive order issued Except for emergency and military assistance, suspending all foreign aid expenses. On March 10, the administration canceled 83 percent of the programs being run by the US agency for international development.
USAID, Trump Declared“Was run by a group of radical lunatics.” Elon Musk said the agency was “a criminal organization”. Social media outlets spread False accusation That USAID spent $ 60 million on condoms for South Africa. On May 21, State Secretary Marco Rubio told Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, “No one died due to USAID.” The MPs presented him with reliable evidence that he was wrong.
By the middle of the year, 94 percent of the 4,500 employees of USAID, many of them were living abroad. FiredBy 1 July, Rubio announced, “USAID will officially stop to implement foreign aid”. The state department will only implement existing and new foreign aid programs if they advance the administration’s “US First” agenda “on the aid, opportunity on dependence, investment on aid”.
The disintegration of USAID has already had a negative impact on the lives of millions of poor and weak people in some 130 countries. And the development of USAID Unseen Our national interest.
Established in 1961, USAID became the leading donor of the world of humanitarian, economic development and democracy-promotion programs. The organization was enough Success In reducing poverty and malnutrition, reducing the spread of infectious diseases and increasing access to safe drinking water and hygiene. Its programs helped reduce the effects of natural disasters and achieve adequate decrease in mortality in mortality from all ages and causes, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tropical diseases. Working with non-governmental organizations, USAID provided educational opportunities for women in Afghanistan and Supported Independent media is committed to correcting disintegration campaigns by state-controlled outlets in Eastern Europe.
Although Maga Republican Condemned “Wake up” agency as usaid Largest implementation partner Catholic was charitable in 2024. In the last four years, Samantha’s purse, established by Franklin Graham, son of Graham, has received $ 90 million in the USAID fund.
A Study Recently published in The Lancet, respected scientists and medical journals, estimate that the implications of eliminating USAID “may be re -prepared for decades,” with an impact “with an impact” is similar in a global epidemic or a major armed conflict scale. ” By 2030, an additional 14 million people, 4 million of them could die children under five years of age. Out of those deaths, 630,000 Pepfar, President George W. Bush’s signature will be associated with dramatic cuts in employees, medicines and treatment through foreign aid initiative.
Usaid is a paradigm example of the practice of “soft power”, which is difficult to determine the strategy to increase national influence through business, financial assistance, educational exchange, public-private partnership and relationships with business and political leaders.
China had already strengthened its global relations Investment $ 679 billion – more than nine times from the US’s foreign aid expenditure – for the construction or repair of roads, railways, airports and energy and digital infrastructure between 2013 and 2021. It began filling the soft power zero created by the disintegration of USAID Immediately In Nepal and Colombia.
American foreign aid, moreover, is relatively inexpensive. In 2023, total Expense Non-monetary foreign aid was $ 71.9 billion, 1.2 percent of the $ 6.1 trillion federal budget. Usaid was responsible for $ 43.5 billion of $ 71.9 billion. America, it is worth noting, gives relatively low percentage of its GDP in help Compare Most for other rich countries.
As Trump and Rubio definitely know, most American do not understand foreign aid objectives and achievements or know how much the US spends on it. On average, American faith This foreign aid is 31 percent of the federal budget. About 70 percent of Americans (and 9 out of 10 Republicans) feel that Washington spends a lot of money to help other countries. Trump and Rubio are not trying to enlighten them.
The disintegration of USAID offers an educational moment. Pepfar, recently referring to former President Bush Asked And replied to the question of a rhetoric: “Is it in our national interest that 25 million people who must have been killed now? I think it is.”
Providing humanitarian aid is the right thing for the world’s wealthiest country, whether it is immediately paid or not. But this is one of the many ways, in our rapidly interconnected and internal planets, in which a strong USAID served – and again – can serve the national interest of America.
Glenn c. Thomas of American Studies and Dorothy Litvin Emeritus Professor at the University of Altschular Cornell.
