When Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, one of his first actions was to sign an executive order “Reevaluating And Realigning United States Foreign Aid.” This decision had immediate and severe consequences for hundreds of millions of people around the globe.
The order mandated a 90-day pause on all US foreign aid, ostensibly to assess “programmatic efficiencies and consistency” with US foreign policy. However, in the weeks that followed, over 80% of overseas aid programmes were terminated, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – founded by JFK in 1961 to promote American soft power and assist poorer nations – was formally closed.
The impact has been devastating. Data shows that US aid obligations fell from $82 billion in 2024 to just $20 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, while humanitarian aid plummeted by over 75%. Countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Somalia – which had relied on over 30% of their foreign aid from the US – have been hit particularly hard.
On the ground reporting from The Independent’s “Rethinking Global Aid” project has uncovered the grim realities. HIV services have been devastated, putting millions of lives at risk. Contraception shortages and disrupted disease control efforts have compounded the crisis. Humanitarian relief for natural disasters and conflict zones has dried up, leaving communities reeling. Even wildlife conservation has been crippled by the US withdrawal.
The ripple effects have been felt globally. At key international events like the UN General Assembly and COP30 climate talks, the absence of robust US engagement has been a major stumbling block. The US has also slashed its UN humanitarian contributions from up to $17 billion in recent years to just $2 billion.
This “America First” approach has encouraged other nations like the UK, Germany, and France to follow suit, marking the biggest aid cuts by G7 countries since 1960. Oxfam estimates that global aid spending will be 26% lower in 2026 than in 2024.
While Trump may have campaigned on an “America First” platform, his administration has sought to reorient US foreign assistance to serve its own policy agenda, rather than the public good of recipient countries. New “health compacts” and infrastructure investments in wealthier nations suggest a shift away from aiding the world’s poorest.
Even as a Congressional proposal offers a glimmer of hope for $50 billion in foreign aid this year, the damage done to the global aid system may be too severe to undo. As Oxfam America’s Abby Maxman laments, “We have run out of words to describe the depth of suffering we have witnessed” due to Trump’s “sledgehammer” approach.
