The end of aid?
What on earth is going on?! Let’s start at the beginning.
The United States Agency for International Development was established in 1961 with an executive order by President Kennedy, who ushered in the “decade of development.” How shall we refer to this dark decade, I wonder?
Elon Musk, in his ambiguous nonsensical role as “special government employee,” decided that it is time for USAID to die. His words.
So, what is he killing, exactly?
USAID employs (rather: employed) around 10,000 people around the world, nearly 7,000 of which worked internationally. In 2023, the agency provided $40 billion USD in humanitarian assistance to 130 countries — places like Ukraine, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan. A majority of the budget was spent on lifesaving health programs — for instance combatting illnesses like polio, developing a groundbreaking malaria vaccine, supporting maternal and child health, and countless other initiatives. At least a waiver was granted for the continuation of a program helping 20 million people living with HIV&AIDS access proper medication. At least this.
What’s left?!
With a swish of his little wand, Elon has all but erased 99% of USAID, leaving only 611 employees — 0.6%. Only 12 staffers left in all of Africa and 8 in all of Asia. All other employees have been put on leave and have been recalled from their duty stations. Shutting down USAID not only destroys the livelihoods of its staff. It also destroys the vast network of nonprofits that work with it — and destroys the lives of people employed by these small organizations.
In the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, only 21 employees remain. The defunding of USAID directly impacts funding for food, tents, and medical treatment for Palestinians in Gaza. This risks destabilizing the new (but hollow and fragile) “ceasefire” agreement which is contingent on the weekly entry of 4,200 aid trucks into Gaza.
His orangeness and the broligarchy are catering to an audience that has zero understanding of US foreign aid. Americans believe that around 25% of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid when in reality it’s closer to 0.2%. This is far below the UN target of 0.7%.
Without strong opposition, Trump and his cronies are able to sidestep laws, bulldoze checks and balances, and essentially do whatever (the F) they want. Wake up Democrats. You have shown your weakness yet again.
Trump tried to cut US foreign aid during his first term, but Congress refused. This time, he’s not bothering to play by the rules. Neither is his little Elon. In the words of Stewart Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, this is further evidence of the “transactional nihilism at the heart of Trump’s foreign policy, which recognizes no positive purpose for the United States in world affairs.”
Patrick adds:
“In its assault on USAID, the Trump administration is turning its back on the world, indifferent to the suffering it will inflict and the blowback the United States will inevitably experience when the world’s problems wash up on its shores.”
The erasure of nearly half of the world’s total humanitarian aid funding is seismic. And yet, why was so much aid dependent on the US? Monopolies on anything are dangerous, but this becomes even more apparent when one rogue actor can sweep the rug out from millions of people. Just like that.
This insane move has had mixed reactions. Trumpers of course are pleased. America first, they say! And yet, if they actually cared about “America first,” they should also be aware that the end of USAID will cost thousands of American jobs. But I’ll bet they don’t know this “little detail.”
Others are understandably angry. And fearful. What happens to the international aid sector now that the US is pulling out? What happens to the millions of people who rely on USAID funding for daily survival? The US has spent decades fostering this network of dependency only to withdraw from it on a whim, creating a dangerous vacuum in its place. People’s lives are not a light switch. Millions of people rely on this funding. Is it ok to toss them aside?
Sure, there are valid criticisms of USAID. Many have argued that the agency is colonialism disguised as aid. Others saw the agency’s projects as bribes paid by the US government to countries around the world in exchange for non-stop resource extraction and exploitation. And others argue that this only lines US pockets — fueling American contractors and American products and American carriers and so on.
These criticisms are valid, but a total shutdown of USAID is not the answer. There is lifesaving work happening — and people’s lives at stake.
Yet, at the same time, some are hopeful. This sector isn’t perfect and can be more exploitative than good. Could this be the end of US hegemony? Could the silver lining be that countries finally (forcibly) wean themselves off US dependency? Sure, let’s revamp the system. But in the immediate term, will others step in to keep people from dying?
Rob Williams, the Chief Executive of War Child Alliance, put it well. Read his entire explanation, but the highlights are here:
“I left Lebanon this morning with serious doubts about whether some of the people I met here will still be alive in six months… The US administration betrays a deep lack of understanding of the aid system and the acute vulnerability of the people who rely on it. People will die in large numbers… Few would argue that a government system as big as the US aid programme would not benefit from a rigorous review. However, I am certain that nothing in the US aid budget would come close to the level of incompetence displayed in this careless and instant aid ‘suspension’. If this administration no longer wants to contribute to global protection funds that is their decision to make. They nevertheless have a responsibility to manage their exit with some regard for the lives of millions of people whom the USA has previously promised to assist.”
Sarah Martin, seasoned humanitarian aid worker with decades of experience had this to say:
“USAID has been life-saving and one of the largest donors for food aid — and to fight violence against women. Also a strong voice against authoritarian regimes and to amplify the voice of human rights defenders around the world (ironically). The current messaging is to say that it’s part of our diplomacy and soft power around the world. But I also think that misses the point that the world’s richest country SHOULD support vulnerable people starving and dying of preventable diseases. Thanks to USAID’s programs, we have saved millions of people. Around the world, people are staring in horror at what a cruel place the USA is becoming. Fighting for our foreign assistance is the right thing to do.”
In a strong counter to the argument that the absence of foreign aid makes America “less safe,” Naila Taji Farouky, CEO at Arab Foundations Forum, wrote this powerful piece of required reading. Some excerpts are below.
“You know what actually makes America less safe?
Offering billions of dollars in aid to ethno-nationalist, supremacist, murderous regimes to blow up children, while your own citizens are one minor medical emergency away from bankruptcy and homelessness. That makes America less safe.
Spewing noble ideals of “democracy” and “rule of law” while simultaneously undermining those values in countries around the world based on your own biases and extremely embedded bigotry? That makes you vulnerable and unsafe… Frankly, no amount of gifting “From the American People” can whitewash the upheaval the American empire is capable of creating around the world.”
As a humanitarian aid worker, I too am deeply impacted — and enraged — by what is happening. I spoke to some of my colleagues and friends, most of whom preferred to speak anonymously. Some of their voices are below:
“I was laid off. After years of trying to make the world a better place. What these old white men have done is make it much, much worse. I am telling you — millions of people will die because of these reckless actions. Child feeding programs will stop. Seriously ill patients will not receive care. Malaria will not be cured. Mothers will not deliver safely. Girls will not get support after sexual violence. Community groups providing support will close their doors. And tens of thousands of people will lose their jobs, their livelihoods, their homes. They’ll lose what all Americans seem to be losing — their faith in humanity, their need to do the right thing, to make a difference, to help people. I thought those were American values. Seems not.” — Anonymous
“20 years of work in this sector, in some of the toughest places in the world, doing the work that most people can’t imagine — real, lifesaving work. And after 20 years, I was laid off. Just like that. More than me, the vast majority of my team was laid off. The people we served for decades are among the world’s most vulnerable. They counted on us. We have left them to starve and die. And why? WHY?” — Anonymous
“I worked from 2020 to 2024 on a USAID-funded, political economy regional study on gender-based violence impunity across eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. DOGE removed eight of our reports in their entirety from USAID websites several days before they completely took those websites down. Still, our reports remain publicly accessible on other platforms and archived online. Censorship of our work cannot silence survivors’ voices or erase our solidarity and collective action.” — Marie-Céline Schulte, Independent Consultant, Senior GBV Advisor, Principal Investigator
“Elon Musk is a wrecking ball, destroying anything good and important. Sure, US development assistance is good for the US. But is that why we do it? Let’s hope we do it because it’s good for humanity. Because it’s the right thing to do. Because we give a shit. I certainly do. Elon does not.” — Anonymous
“It’s a hostile takeover. Isn’t that illegal? I thought only congress can dissolve USAID. How are we all just sitting here allowing this to happen? We’re in the dark. Totally ignorant. Afraid of what is coming — for us, for those we work with, for all of it. I’m sorry to say — this is only the beginning.” — Anonymous
“Foreign aid is less than 1% of the entire US government’s budget. If that minimal amount — under careful stewardship — that goes a long way to promote American ideals and to reach the poorest and most marginalized, bothers you, then clearly it is a YOU problem.“ — Anonymous
It is telling that most of those quoted above preferred to stay anonymous. These are people who have worked for decades in some of the world’s hardest places — serving with integrity, making a difference. Now they sit in darkness, with no idea what will come next. As one said above, “this is only the beginning.”
What can we do? For those inclined to take action, here you go:
- In the US, contact your congressional representatives and state the need to protect USAID
- Join protests advocating for humanitarian aid and multilateralism — and against authoritarianism
- Educate others about foreign aid to challenge misconceptions
- Donate to the community groups to ensure that their critical work continues
In the end, the groups on the ground are the ones doing the real work. This must continue. More than that, community groups must work towards self-sufficiency. And fully owning the direction of their work without a dependence on donor dollars — or donor dictates.
To return once again to Naila Taji Farouky:
“As devastating and challenging as this moment is, it’s also a critical juncture for our sector to step up and make serious changes.. The opportunity this provides for a real shift in the sector and for the rest of the world to take responsibility for its complicity in this outcome is pivotal and urgent. We should be concerned with how we keep the WHOLE world safe.”
