Human rights advocates and global health experts have expressed alarm at the speed and scale of the cuts…reports Asian Lite News
A new study published in The Lancet has warned that ongoing cuts to U.S. foreign aid under President Donald Trump’s administration could lead to more than 14 million additional deaths worldwide by 2030 — including nearly 4.5 million children under the age of five.
The research, conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, paints a bleak picture of the global fallout from dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), long regarded as a pillar of global health and humanitarian assistance.
“For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,” said Davide Rasella, co-author of the study, in a statement released Tuesday.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump’s administration has dramatically scaled back funding to USAID, citing a need to reduce “wasteful” spending. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in March that more than 80% of the agency’s global programmes had been cancelled following a six-week review. He added that the remaining initiatives — around 1,000 programmes — would now be overseen directly by the State Department with closer oversight from Congress.
Human rights advocates and global health experts have expressed alarm at the speed and scale of the cuts, warning that the consequences could be catastrophic for millions dependent on aid for survival, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia.
The Lancet study estimates that USAID-funded programmes have helped prevent over 91 million deaths in the last two decades, including 30 million children. The proposed cuts, however, could reverse decades of progress in areas such as vaccination, maternal health, infectious disease prevention, and food security.
“Unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030,” the study concluded.
According to data from the U.S. government, Washington remains the world’s largest single donor of humanitarian assistance, contributing nearly 38% of all aid tracked by the United Nations. In 2024 alone, the U.S. disbursed $61 billion in foreign aid — over half of it via USAID.
Much of this aid has been critical in regions facing crises such as malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and post-conflict rebuilding. USAID’s withdrawal, researchers warn, will not be easily replaced by other donors, potentially leaving major gaps in service delivery and disease prevention.
While the Trump administration argues that consolidating foreign aid under the State Department will lead to greater efficiency and accountability, experts argue that such centralisation comes at the cost of institutional experience and the long-standing partnerships USAID has cultivated across the globe.
The findings have added pressure on lawmakers in Washington to reassess the policy. Several Democratic senators have already urged the White House to restore funding and consult Congress before making further cuts.
