The Trump administration’s decision to suspend all foreign assistance through an immediate stop-work order has shut down critical global health programs, putting millions of lives at risk overnight. From halting HIV/AIDS treatment to stopping polio eradication efforts, the decision is unraveling decades of progress and leaving some of the world’s most vulnerable populations without life-saving care.
This reckless move—directly ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and rubber-stamped by Marco Rubio’s State Department—doesn’t just harm people abroad. It weakens U.S. global leadership, threatens America’s own health security, and strengthens adversarial nations who are eager to take our place on the world stage.
The Immediate Impact: Millions Cut Off from Life-Saving Care
USAID and State Department-funded programs provide essential health services to millions of people across the globe, and this stop-work order immediately halts those operations.
Global Disease Threats Left Unchecked
Deadly outbreaks don’t care about bureaucratic delays. The stop-work order paused U.S. efforts to contain a Marburg outbreak in Tanzania and an mpox strain killing children in West Africa. With no intervention, these diseases will spread, endangering countless lives.
Meanwhile, bird flu surveillance in 49 countries has stopped, even after a confirmed case already reached U.S. soil. Without global disease monitoring, the next pandemic could blindside America—just like COVID-19 did.
HIV/AIDS Treatment Suspended
Over 20 million people rely on donated HIV medications through U.S.-funded programs. These life-saving treatments are now at risk. Even brief interruptions lead to drug resistance, treatment failure, and rising infection rates, unraveling years of hard-fought progress.
Millions of Women and Children Abandoned
Global maternal and child health services have been shut down, leaving 90 million women and children without access to medicine, vaccines, and safe childbirth support. Entire regions will see spikes in infant mortality and preventable deaths due to this decision.
USAID’s Health Workforce is Being Gutted
Half of USAID’s 900-person Global Health Bureau will be furloughed, with countless more losing contracts that support vital aid programs. Cutting these experts in the middle of a global health crisis is beyond reckless—it’s a deliberate act of sabotage.
America’s Retreat is China’s Gain
Eliminating these programs doesn’t mean the problems disappear—it just means someone else steps in to solve them. China has already been increasing its foreign aid and health initiatives in regions the U.S. is now abandoning. Every dollar the U.S. cuts is an opportunity for China to expand its influence, secure trade agreements, and push its own interests.
The decision to unilaterally withdraw from global health leadership isn’t just a betrayal of our allies—it’s a strategic failure that weakens American power and hands diplomatic victories to our competitors.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
This isn’t just a pause in funding—it’s a full-blown humanitarian disaster in the making. Without immediate action, we will see: Resurgent pandemics due to a lack of global disease monitoring, a spike in preventable deaths from HIV/AIDS, polio, malaria, and maternal complications, a leadership vacuum that China and other adversaries will exploit, and U.S. credibility destroyed, making future international partnerships nearly impossible.
Every day that this stop-work order remains in place, lives are lost.
Please tell your Members of Congress to support humanitarian aid. You can find their name and phone number here.
The U.S. foreign aid freeze has forced many frontline organizations to halt operations, impacting millions globally. Without HIV/AIDS treatment provided by the US, 6 million people could die over the next four years. Unlock Aid is raising an emergency fund with no overhead to help sustainable organizations resume their work. Please consider donating.
