Trump's foreign aid cuts spark fears of global humanitarian crisis

The Lancet Medical Journal has issued a dire warning about the potential consequences of drastic cuts to international foreign aid under the Trump administration. The report estimates that these reductions could result in 14 million deaths worldwide by 2030, with devastating effects on vulnerable populations in low and middle-income countries.

US Senate debates sweeping aid cuts

Today, the US Senate is deliberating a comprehensive budget bill that includes significant reductions to international aid programs managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The legislation, branded by Trump as his “big, beautiful bill,” proposes cutting 83% of USAID’s programs, a move announced earlier this year by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

USAID, responsible for providing $68 billion annually to support critical humanitarian and development initiatives, plays a vital role in global relief efforts. However, the proposed budget cuts have sparked alarm among humanitarian experts and international organizations, given the agency’s central role in addressing poverty, malnutrition, and child mortality.

These cuts have been celebrated by some within the administration, with Elon Musk notably referring to the reductions as putting the agency “through the woodchipper.” Meanwhile, other nations have followed the United States’ lead, with several European countries also slashing their foreign aid budgets, compounding the crisis.

A looming humanitarian disaster

The Lancet’s research, which utilized advanced modeling to assess the impact of these funding cuts, paints a grim picture. The report predicts that 4.5 million children under the age of five could lose their lives, with the annual global infant mortality rate rising by 700,000. Co-author Davide Rasella likened the scale of the crisis to that of a global pandemic or armed conflict, warning that decades of progress in global health could be reversed.

To contextualize the magnitude of these potential losses, the report notes that 10 million soldiers died during World War I, while 7 million people have died from COVID-19 since 2020. The projected death toll from these aid cuts would represent a catastrophe of comparable scale.

Global response and condemnation itarian organizations and the United Nations have condemned the proposed cuts, calling them the most severe funding reductions ever faced by the international aid sector. They argue that these measures could disrupt essential services such as healthcare, food distribution, and disaster relief, leaving millions without critical support.

As world leaders convene in Seville, Spain, for the largest aid conference in decades, the United States has announced it will not participate. This absence underscores the administration’s shift away from global cooperation on humanitarian issues, further isolating the US on the international stage.

The Lancet report’s findings and the Senate’s ongoing debate highlight the far-reaching consequences of these budgetary decisions. If implemented, the cuts could have catastrophic effects, not only for vulnerable populations but for global stability and progress.