USAID cuts devastate lifesaving programs, aid groups warn
The Trump administration’s cancellation of $60 billion in U.S.
The Trump administration’s cancellation of $60 billion in U.S. Agency for International Development contracts is already unraveling significant programs and caused profound harm to many of the world’s most vulnerable people, humanitarian officials tell NBC News.
The pace of change has jumped since Wednesday, when the White House unveiled plans to cut more than 90% of contracts held by USAID, which has been the world’s largest single aid provider for decades. In January, an official freeze on foreign aid was cast as part of a temporary review.
The recently announced cuts essentially eliminate most U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad and come amid the dramatic contraction of government spending carried out under the aegis of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. President Donald Trump and Musk allege that USAID promotes a liberal agenda and wastes money.
Tearful supporters of USAID workers embrace outside the Ronald Reagan Building during a "clap out" in Washington on Thursday.Ting Shen / AFP via Getty ImagesSome of the programs at risk support drought-prone populations in Africa, school feeding programs in West Africa, outreach to youth at risk of recruitment to extremist organizations like the Islamic State group, and public health efforts focused on HIV/AIDS, according to multiple officials familiar with the cuts.
Several representatives for nongovernmental organizations that have been affected by the USAID cuts requested anonymity to speak to NBC News while they determined how to best work with the Trump administration and dealt with the devastating directive. One spokesperson said they were afraid they could lose funding for the few remaining programs that weren’t hit by Wednesday’s cuts while another hoped the administration would reconsider the cuts altogether.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/usaid-cuts-devastate-lifesaving-worldwide-hunger-rcna194173
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