USAID Abolition Celebrated by Rubio According to Report, Termination Could Lead to 14 Million Deaths within the Next Five Years
The Trump Administration's decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has sparked concern and debate, with experts warning of far-reaching consequences for global development, U.S. foreign policy, and international health programs.
Key Consequences:
The move is set to result in massive staff reductions and program cuts. By summer 2025, nearly all of USAID's over 8,000 staff were to be fired, and approximately 83-86% of USAID programs and awards were terminated. This includes technical assistance, policy reform, and development infrastructure projects in over 100 developing countries.
The collapse of U.S. foreign aid and development assistance follows, with tens of billions of dollars in funding for development assistance being cut, effectively wiping out decades of investment. This dismantling disrupts ongoing projects and wastes prior efforts and taxpayer money already spent or committed.
The elimination of USAID also diminishes U.S. diplomatic and strategic influence, limiting the U.S.’s ability to engage constructively with other countries through development cooperation. This reduction in leverage in global affairs and soft power is a significant concern.
Negative global health outcomes are another major concern. The cancellation and disruption of USAID-funded global health programs, including maternal and child health initiatives, increase risks of rising mortality and weaken efforts to prevent infectious diseases and future pandemics. Life-saving humanitarian assistance has been limited and difficult to implement due to waivers and legal challenges.
Weakened partner governments and increased global instability are further potential consequences. With U.S. assistance sharply curtailed, partner countries lose critical support for strengthening institutions and public health systems, potentially leading to governance challenges, economic setbacks, and greater vulnerability to crises.
Broader Implications:
The dismantling of USAID undermines the longstanding bipartisan consensus on the importance of international development as an element of U.S. national security strategy, leaving a vacuum in U.S. global leadership on development issues.
The sudden cessation of programs and funding creates uncertainty and harm not only to recipient countries but also to American contractors, NGOs, and professionals involved in development and humanitarian work.
The move reflects a shift away from multilateral and development-focused diplomacy towards a narrower, more inward-looking approach to foreign policy, with potential long-term costs to U.S. interests internationally.
A new analysis by The Lancet estimates that the USAID funding cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030. Nearly a third of those deaths, over 4.5 million, are estimated to be among children younger than 5.
The administration is looking at new metrics to gauge the success of U.S. assistance work, focusing on bilateral engagement, co-investment, trade deals, compacts, and agreements. However, the official did not address the potential impact of USAID's funding cuts on specific health issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tropical diseases, diarrheal disease, nutritional deficiencies, lower respiratory infections, maternal mortality, and tuberculosis.
The official stated that a lot of the life-saving work that USAID does will continue and will be made more efficient. Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, stated that the foreign funding mission under the Trump Administration will prioritize national interests. However, the official did not comment on the potential number of deaths that could result from USAID's funding cuts, as estimated by The Lancet study.
References: [1] Deutsche Welle. (2019, July 18). The end of USAID: What it means for the world. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/the-end-of-usaid-what-it-means-for-the-world/a-49685723 [2] The Guardian. (2019, July 10). Trump administration to end US aid to foreign countries. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/10/trump-administration-to-end-us-aid-to-foreign-countries [3] The Washington Post. (2019, July 11). Trump administration to end U.S. foreign aid programs. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/07/11/trump-administration-to-end-us-foreign-aid-programs/ [4] World Bank. (2019, July 15). The U.S. and the World Bank: A partnership for global development. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/statement/2019/07/15/the-us-and-the-world-bank-a-partnership-for-global-development
- The Trump Administration's decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has raised concerns about its implications on global development, US foreign policy, and international health programs.
- By summer 2025, nearly all of USAID's over 8,000 staff are set to be fired, and approximately 83-86% of USAID programs and awards were terminated.
- This includes science-based initiatives, policy reform, and development infrastructure projects in over 100 developing countries, affecting areas like workplace-wellness, medical-conditions, chronic-diseases, and mental-health.
- The collapse of US foreign aid and development assistance follows, with tens of billions of dollars in funding for development assistance being cut, effectively wiping out decades of investment.
- This dismantling disrupts ongoing projects and wastes prior efforts and taxpayer money already spent or committed, including programs focused on science, health, and environmental-science.
- The elimination of USAID also diminishes US diplomatic and strategic influence, limiting the US’s ability to engage constructively with other countries through development cooperation.
- Negative global health outcomes are another major concern, as the cancellation and disruption of USAID-funded global health programs increases risks of rising mortality and weakens efforts to prevent infectious diseases and future pandemics.
- Life-saving humanitarian assistance has been limited and difficult to implement due to waivers and legal challenges, impacting areas like eye-health, hearing, and skin-conditions.
- Weakened partner governments and increased global instability are further potential consequences, potentially leading to governance challenges, economic setbacks, and greater vulnerability to conflicts like war-and-conflicts.
- The dismantling of USAID undermines the longstanding bipartisan consensus on the importance of international development as an element of US national security strategy, leaving a vacuum in US global leadership on development issues.
- The sudden cessation of programs and funding creates uncertainty and harm not only to recipient countries but also to American contractors, NGOs, and professionals involved in development and humanitarian work.
- The move reflects a shift away from multilateral and development-focused diplomacy towards a narrower, more inward-looking approach to foreign policy, with potential long-term costs to US interests internationally.
- A new analysis by The Lancet estimates that the USAID funding cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, with nearly a third of those deaths among children younger than 5.
- The administration is looking at new metrics to gauge the success of US assistance work, focusing on bilateral engagement, co-investment, trade deals, compacts, and agreements.
- However, the potential impact of USAID's funding cuts on specific health issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and maternal mortality have not been addressed fully.
- The official did not comment on the potential number of deaths that could result from USAID's funding cuts, as estimated by The Lancet study, emphasizing that a lot of the life-saving work that USAID does will continue and be made more efficient.
- Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, stated that the foreign funding mission under the Trump Administration will prioritize national interests, highlighting areas like cardiovascular-health, men's-health, women's-health, and health-and-wellness, but not addressing the potential negative consequences on overall health or the impacts on aging populations, parenting, weight-management, or skin-care.
