Trump’s Proposed Cuts to USAID Threaten American Influence in a Growingly Volatile World | US News

These are significant announcements regarding American policy that could have profound effects globally, made in a spontaneous manner by President Donald Trump and his billionaire advisor, Elon Musk.

After a visit to his Florida residence, Mr. Trump described the US government’s international aid and development agency, USAID, as “run by lunatics”.

The president, recently inaugurated for a second term in office on January 20, stated: “We’re going to remove them, and then we’ll make a decision.”

On X, Mr Musk was much clearer, telling former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during an audio chat that USAID was doomed.

“We are currently in the process of dismantling USAID. It became evident that rather than simply having a few bugs to fix, we are dealing with a whole bowl of worms…”

Mr. Musk stated that he and the president share a common perspective, while staff members from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are now scrutinizing the agency’s $40 billion budget.

USAID accounts for just 1% of the overall US government expenditure and has typically maintained bipartisan support in Congress.

The premise is quite simple: that foreign aid and development are vital for ensuring American safety globally, alongside defense and diplomacy.

Yet, it appears that both Mr. Trump and his team harbor a deep-seated disdain for the agency and its global mission.

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On X, Mr. Musk conveyed the following messages as his DOGE task force attempted to access the department’s digital and physical assets over the weekend.

“USAID is a den of radical-left Marxists who detest America.”

He also remarked: “USAID is a criminal organization. It’s time for it to be dismantled.”

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Clearly, the department is perceived as a vulnerable target for an administration committed to significant reductions in government spending. Conservative constituents are unlikely to voice concerns, even if these cuts lead to disorder abroad.

Musk referred to it as “just plain common sense”.

However, that is not how it will be perceived on the international stage. The United States accounted for over 40% of global international aid expenditure in 2024, with no other single donor coming close.

Numerous programs are funded directly via USAID—such as critical care for infectious diseases and preventive treatments that prevent millions of deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other ailments.

Additionally, international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, derive a significant portion of their funding from the US.

Many life-saving initiatives are already on hold.

President Trump signed an executive order right after his inauguration, suspending new foreign aid expenditure for 90 days.

Shortly afterward, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued stop-work orders on virtually all current programs.

In Uganda, 600 employees at a NGO (non-governmental organization) funded under the US president’s PEPFAR plan for AIDS Relief—the world’s preeminent HIV initiative—have been put on hold.

US aid officials involved in projects aimed at aiding refugees and bolstering the local health infrastructure in Uganda have also been dismissed. Such cases are now being echoed globally.

Mr. Rubio has granted several waivers permitting the distribution of essential aid, but the conditions of these waivers remain undefined—and the trajectory is evident.

A growing sense of crisis is forming worldwide as President Trump and his administration prepare to dismantle USAID.

Critics warn that this action will jeopardize lives.

Moreover, it will undermine American influence in a world that is increasingly perilous.