President Trump's executive order freezes most US foreign aid for 90 days, combats hunger and fatal diseases, conducts clinical trials and puts shelter for millions of displaced people around the world I was thrown into a confusing program I was trying to offer.
The United States International Development Agency, or USAID, is the leading governmental organization that provides humanitarian assistance such as food, medical assistance, and disaster relief. It was hit hardest by the freeze.
Trump has denounced the institutions of rampaging corruption and fraud without providing evidence. Billionaire Elon Musk, who has been on the challenge of cutting federal budgets and programs, boasted online that he “supplies USAID to Wood Chippers.”
The Trump administration ordered thousands of institutional workers to return to the United States from overseas, leave them on indefinite administrative leave and transfer agency oversight to the State Department.
How much foreign aid does the US provide?
In total, the US spent nearly $72 billion in 2023 on foreign aid. This includes spending through programs managed by agencies such as the USAID, the State Department, and the Peace Corps.
In terms of its economic production, the United States, which has the world's largest economy, is far less foreign aid than other developed countries.
USAID spent approximately $38 billion on health services, disaster relief, poverty prevention efforts and other programs in 2023. This was about 0.7% of the federal budget. In 2021, it accounted for 0.4% before the war in Ukraine.
Who is the recipient?
Trump's freeze on US foreign aid does not apply to arms aid for countries such as Israel and Egypt. Emergency food aid should be exempt, but many such programs suffer due to disruption in the government's payment system.
In 2023, complete data available, last year Ukraine has been in war with Russia since the full-scale invasion of Moscow in February 2022, but is the most US-supported 166 in any country or region. I received billions of dollars. Most of it was followed by economic development, followed by humanitarian assistance and security.
Israel was attacked by Hamas-led extremists on October 7, 2023, launching a 16-month war in Gaza, but received the second-highest amount for the US.
How is the money spent?
Foreign aid in the United States can be constituted as direct financial support to the country through non-governmental organizations. Military support; Food and medical assistance; or technical expertise.
Foreign aid could be a type of soft power that can provide the strategic interests of the country, strengthen allies, and help prevent conflict.
In the case of USAID, the funds will be directed towards humanitarian assistance, development assistance, direct budget support in Ukraine, peacebuilding in Somalia, disease surveillance in Cambodia, vaccination programmes in Nigeria, HIV prevention in Uganda, and maternal health assistance in Zambia. It is being done. The agency also helps contain large Ebola outbreaks and funded conservation and environmental programs.
Contrary to Trump's claims, US money is not used by Hamas to send condoms to Gaza for use, health officials say. In a statement later last month, the International Medical Corps received more than $68 million from USAID for work at Enclave since October 2023, but said, “US government funds used to raise or distribute condoms.” There was none.”
Instead, the group said it was used to run two field hospitals, treat and diagnose malnutrition, give birth to more than 5,000 babies and perform 11,000 surgeries.
Why was the freeze ordered?
For years, conservative critics have questioned the value of the US foreign aid program.
“Every dollars we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be answered and justified to three simple questions,” says Marco. Secretary of State Rubio said in a recent statement. “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”
The Trump administration and Congressional allies have argued that a suspension of foreign aid is necessary to investigate waste. Many of their claims are misleading or lack of context.
Rubio, who had spoken in support of the agency previously, said, “We accused the employees of deeming them in some way a global charity separate from national interests.
However, he insisted that the acquisition “is not about removing foreign aid.” He said in a recent interview with Fox News that “we have a 'no ranking' ranking in government agencies,” adding that USAID employees are “not completely supportive.”
As organizations around the world wobbled, the Trump administration switched gears. Rubio announced that “life-saving humanitarian assistance” could continue, but the resignation will be “temporary.”
But by then, hundreds of senior officials and workers who help distribute American aid have already been fired or taken leave, leaving many aid efforts paralyzed.
What was the impact of the aid freeze?
The immediate disruption caused by Trump's freezing foreign aid is rippling across healthcare, security and humanitarian programs around the world. Long-term outcomes could reconstruct global health, research and political stability in many countries.
Health: Many global clinical trials rely on USAID funding. The sudden halt operation order left thousands of people with no system to monitor side effects, alerting to vulnerable medical conditions.
Doctors are currently facing legal and ethical dilemmas. It puts Trump freezing or harm to patients.
In South Africa, researchers were forced to close HIV prevention trials, leaving women with experimental implants in their bodies without continuing medical supervision.
In Uganda, children enrolled in the TB treatment trial have been cut off from potentially life-saving drugs.
In Bangladesh, cholera treatment trials have been abandoned and patients do not plan for the next step.
The damage was exacerbated by Trump's announcement that the US would withdraw from the World Health Organization, which announced its own cost-cutting measures.
Security: In Syria, executive orders threaten US programs to support security forces in the infamous camp known as Alhor in the Syrian desert, which houses tens of thousands of Islamic state members and their families, and Syrian and US officials said.
Stability: American aid accounts for 15% of South Sudan's economic output, 6% in Somalia and 4% in the Central African Republic. The US ambassador for Mozambique told Rubio he proposed that cuts to USAID would cause “major vulnerability” in Africa.
Climate and migration: Many USAID programs focus on helping people in poor countries deal with extreme weather caused by climate change, which will help ease the pressure to migrate to the US. I'm hoping.
What was your reaction to the Trump Order?
Democrats said the move to dismantle the USAID or merge with the State Department was illegal.
On Thursday, the two unions representing USAID employees filed a lawsuit alleging that cutting staff and canceling global aid agreements were unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers. USAID claimed it cannot be rewind without it. Congressional approval.
Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday afternoon. It issued a temporary restraining order to suspend administrative leave for 2,200 USAID employees and a plan to withdraw overseas workers from almost all agencies within 30 days.
The agency has funded election watchdog groups, anti-corruption watchdogs and independent press. Leaders of Russia, Hungary and El Salvador welcomed Trump administration's attack on USAID
Salvador president Naive Bukel, who embraced Strongman's tactics to crack down on gang violence, said in a post on X that the agency's funding “an NGO with political agenda and unstable movements” was “opposition groups.” “It was sent to.”
