Donald Trump's move to cut most of the US funding towards foreign humanitarian aid could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, according toresearch published in The Lancetmedical journal on Monday. A third of those at risk of premature deaths are children, the research finds. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March that President Trump's administration had cancelled over 80% of all programmes at the US Agency for International Development, or USAID. "For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," Davide Rasella, who co-authored the Lancet report, said in a statement. The funding cuts "risk abruptly halting - and even reversing - two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations," added Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. The report comes as dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for a United Nations-led aid conference, the biggest one in a decade. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. They also used modelling to project how funding being slashed by 83% – the figure announced by the US government earlier this year – could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five – or around 700,000 child deaths a year. The Trump administration, led by billionaire Elon Musk's cost-cutting initiative, aims to shrink the federal workforce. It has also accused USAID of supporting liberal projects. The US, by far the world's largest humanitarian aid provider, operated in more than 60 countries, largely through contractors. According to Rubio, there were still approximately 1,000 remaining programmes that would be administered "more effectively" under the US State Department and in consultation with Congress. Still, the situation on the ground has not been improving, according to UN workers. Last month, a UN official told the BBC that hundreds of thousands of people were "slowly starving" in Kenyan refugee camps after US funding cuts reduced food rations to their lowest ever levels. At a hospital in Kakuma, in northwestern Kenya,the BBC witnesseda baby who could barely move and was showing signs of malnutrition, including having parts of her skin wrinkled and peeling.
Trump global aid cuts risk 14 million deaths in five years, report says
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Trump Administration's Cuts to Foreign Aid Could Lead to Over 14 Million Additional Deaths by 2030"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
A recent report published in The Lancet medical journal highlights the dire consequences of the Trump administration's significant cuts to U.S. foreign humanitarian aid. The research indicates that these funding reductions could result in over 14 million additional deaths by the year 2030, with approximately one-third of those at risk being children. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the administration had canceled more than 80% of programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which plays a crucial role in providing aid to low- and middle-income countries. Davide Rasella, a co-author of the report, emphasized that the resulting impact from these funding cuts could be as severe as a global pandemic or a major armed conflict, potentially reversing two decades of health progress in vulnerable populations. This alarming situation comes at a time when world leaders are convening in Seville for a United Nations-led aid conference, which is described as the largest of its kind in a decade.
The researchers behind the report analyzed data from 133 nations and estimated that USAID funding had previously prevented approximately 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. With the projected cuts amounting to an 83% reduction in aid, the researchers forecast that these changes could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths, including over 4.5 million children under the age of five. The Trump administration has been pursuing a cost-cutting agenda, which has led to criticisms of USAID for allegedly supporting liberal projects. While Rubio mentioned that around 1,000 programs would continue under the State Department's management, reports from UN workers indicate that conditions on the ground are deteriorating. For instance, in Kenyan refugee camps, funding cuts have led to critical food shortages, with reports of individuals, including children, suffering severe malnutrition. This situation underscores the urgent need for humanitarian assistance and raises concerns about the long-term implications of drastic funding cuts on global health and welfare.
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