The Trump administration has finalized its controversial plan to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing on June 30 that 83% of the agency's programs have been cut and its remaining operations will be transferred to the State Department effective July 1. This radical restructuring comes alongside alarming research published in The Lancet warning that the move could lead to over 14 million preventable deaths globally by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five years old.
The decision marks the culmination of President Trump's longstanding push to overhaul U.S. foreign aid, which began with his administration's March 2025 notification to Congress of plans to eliminate nearly all USAID positions. Secretary Rubio defended the move on social media platform X, framing it as an effort to streamline bureaucracy and prioritize American interests, though critics warn it will have devastating humanitarian consequences.
A study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health projects catastrophic health outcomes from the aid cuts, with researcher La Serra cautioning that decades of progress in global health could be abruptly reversed. The dissolution particularly threatens landmark programs like PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which has saved an estimated 25 million lives since its 2003 launch under President George W. Bush.
The announcement prompted extraordinary bipartisan criticism, with former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush appearing together at a virtual "farewell meeting" for USAID staff. Obama condemned the dissolution as "both farce and tragedy," while Bush highlighted the agency's lifesaving legacy. Their joint appearance marked a rare show of unity against a sitting administration's policy.
As the State Department assumes control of USAID's remaining security-focused aid programs, analysts warn the move creates a power vacuum in global health leadership at a time when China is expanding its Belt and Road health initiatives. The restructuring implements Trump's "America First Aid" framework, which requires demonstrable economic returns for the U.S. from foreign assistance programs.
The dismantling of USAID, which had a US$32 billion annual budget supporting programs in over 100 countries before the cuts, represents one of the most dramatic transformations of U.S. foreign policy architecture in decades, with potentially far-reaching consequences for global health, humanitarian relief, and America's international standing.
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