A recent study estimates that President Donald Trump’s significant reduction of funding for foreign humanitarian aid could result in over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, predominantly affecting vulnerable populations, particularly children.
Trump's Dramatic Cuts to Foreign Aid May Lead to 14 Million Deaths by 2030, Experts Warn
Trump's Dramatic Cuts to Foreign Aid May Lead to 14 Million Deaths by 2030, Experts Warn
Research published in The Lancet reveals potential surge in global mortality connected to US foreign aid reductions.
The article text:
According to a report released on Monday in The Lancet medical journal, Donald Trump's decision to slash most of the United States' financial assistance for humanitarian efforts abroad could lead to more than 14 million premature deaths by the year 2030. Alarmingly, roughly one-third of those at risk are children. This grave analysis comes in the wake of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement in March that the Trump administration had rescinded over 80% of the programs managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Davide Rasella, a lead researcher from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health who contributed to the study, emphasized that for many low- and middle-income nations, the repercussions could be as profound as the effects of a global pandemic or extensive conflict. "The funding cuts are poised to threaten the health advancements made over the past twenty years among the most vulnerable populations," Rasella remarked.
This report surfaces as global leaders convene in Seville, Spain, for a major United Nations-led humanitarian aid conference, the largest in a decade. Researchers reviewed data from 133 countries and concluded that prior USAID funding had successfully prevented 91 million deaths across developing nations between 2001 and 2021. Utilizing modeling techniques, they projected the potential health impacts of an 83% reduction in funding, a figure disclosed by the Trump administration earlier this year.
The study anticipates that these budgetary cuts could result in an alarming 14 million avoidable fatalities by 2030. Of this number, over 4.5 million are expected to be children under five, translating into approximately 700,000 child deaths annually. The Trump administration has justified these cuts under the umbrella of billionaire Elon Musk's initiative to reduce federal expenditures while criticizing USAID for supposedly backing liberal agendas.
Despite the United States being the world's largest provider of humanitarian aid—operating in over 60 countries primarily through contracts—Rubio has indicated that around 1,000 programs remaining will be managed "more effectively" through the US State Department and in collaboration with Congress. However, reports from UN officials indicate dire conditions persist on the ground, with many communities suffering severe food shortages. Last month, a UN representative shared with the BBC that countless individuals were "slowly starving" in Kenya’s refugee centers, as US funding cuts have rendered food rations at unprecedented lows.
At a medical facility in Kakuma, a region in northwestern Kenya, a BBC team observed a severely malnourished infant, exhibiting alarming signs of starvation such as thinning skin and a lack of mobility.
According to a report released on Monday in The Lancet medical journal, Donald Trump's decision to slash most of the United States' financial assistance for humanitarian efforts abroad could lead to more than 14 million premature deaths by the year 2030. Alarmingly, roughly one-third of those at risk are children. This grave analysis comes in the wake of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement in March that the Trump administration had rescinded over 80% of the programs managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Davide Rasella, a lead researcher from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health who contributed to the study, emphasized that for many low- and middle-income nations, the repercussions could be as profound as the effects of a global pandemic or extensive conflict. "The funding cuts are poised to threaten the health advancements made over the past twenty years among the most vulnerable populations," Rasella remarked.
This report surfaces as global leaders convene in Seville, Spain, for a major United Nations-led humanitarian aid conference, the largest in a decade. Researchers reviewed data from 133 countries and concluded that prior USAID funding had successfully prevented 91 million deaths across developing nations between 2001 and 2021. Utilizing modeling techniques, they projected the potential health impacts of an 83% reduction in funding, a figure disclosed by the Trump administration earlier this year.
The study anticipates that these budgetary cuts could result in an alarming 14 million avoidable fatalities by 2030. Of this number, over 4.5 million are expected to be children under five, translating into approximately 700,000 child deaths annually. The Trump administration has justified these cuts under the umbrella of billionaire Elon Musk's initiative to reduce federal expenditures while criticizing USAID for supposedly backing liberal agendas.
Despite the United States being the world's largest provider of humanitarian aid—operating in over 60 countries primarily through contracts—Rubio has indicated that around 1,000 programs remaining will be managed "more effectively" through the US State Department and in collaboration with Congress. However, reports from UN officials indicate dire conditions persist on the ground, with many communities suffering severe food shortages. Last month, a UN representative shared with the BBC that countless individuals were "slowly starving" in Kenya’s refugee centers, as US funding cuts have rendered food rations at unprecedented lows.
At a medical facility in Kakuma, a region in northwestern Kenya, a BBC team observed a severely malnourished infant, exhibiting alarming signs of starvation such as thinning skin and a lack of mobility.
