Trump’s aid cuts could cause 14 million deaths by 2030
Trump’s sweeping cuts to US foreign aid could cause over 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, according to new research published in The Lancet. One-third of those at risk are children under five, reported by Al-Monitor on July 1st.
The findings emerged as global leaders gathered in Seville to discuss urgent support for the collapsing aid sector. In recent months, Trump has already cut, or threatened to cut aid in Sudan, UN’s world food funding and Kenya.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) once provided over 40 percent of all humanitarian funding worldwide. But within weeks of Trump’s return to the White House, close advisor Elon Musk declared he had put the agency “through the woodchipper.”
The study’s co-author Davide Rasella of ISGlobal warned the funding cuts “risk abruptly halting, and even reversing, two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations.” He said the impact on low- and middle-income countries could mirror the devastation of a global pandemic or major war.
Between 2001 and 2021, USAID funding prevented an estimated 91.8 million deaths across 133 countries. That surpasses the total fatalities of World War II. The modelling now predicts 14 million more could die by 2030, including 4.5 million children, if funding remains slashed by 83 percent as announced.
USAID programmes had reduced HIV/AIDS deaths by 65 percent in high-support countries. Rates of malaria and neglected tropical diseases also dropped by half. UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima warned of “4.2 million more AIDS-related deaths – that includes 300,000 children.”
Already, South Sudan and Haiti report increased child deaths and hospital shortfalls. A tracker by Boston University estimates over 330,000 deaths already tied to the aid cuts, roughly 88 every hour.
Several European donors, including the UK, also reduced aid. But researchers emphasised that reversing these decisions could still prevent further deaths. As UCLA’s James Macinko noted, “US citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID… it saves millions.”
Al-Monitor, Al-Jazeera, BBC, Maghrebi
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