USAID dissolution and aid cuts impact global humanitarian stability

The dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by the Donald Trump administration has significantly altered the global foreign aid landscape. Established in the early 1960s under President John F. Kennedy, USAID has historically served as a primary tool for U.S. soft power diplomacy, aimed at fostering global goodwill, preventing the spread of diseases, and maintaining international stability.

A study in The Lancet previously credited USAID programs with preventing 91 million deaths during the first two decades of the 21st century, including 30 million deaths among children under age five. While critics have labeled the agency wasteful, the recent funding cuts have been linked to severe humanitarian consequences, including widespread hunger, medicine shortages, and increases in child marriage and trafficking.

Experts warn that the full scale of the damage may remain unknown, as the long-term effects of malnutrition and untreated diseases take time to manifest, and the reduction in funding has eliminated many frontline workers responsible for collecting mortality data.