Get audio access with any FP subscription. Subscribe Now ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

Get audio access with any FP subscription.

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

Nearly one year ago, the Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development and terminated more than 80 percent of U.S. foreign aid grants and contracts. Since then, other major donors such as the United Kingdom and Germany have also stepped back. The United Nations’ humanitarian funding has been slashed by nearly 40 percent compared to 2024, totaling only $15 billion in 2025. Today, Americans collectively spend more on Halloween candy than tax-funded humanitarian assistance.

Now is a good time to take stock, address the fictions about foreign aid that contributed to its dismantling, and embrace a reform agenda that can truly fix a beleaguered aid system.

Nearly one year ago, the Trump administration shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development and terminated more than 80 percent of U.S. foreign aid grants and contracts. Since then, other major donors such as the United Kingdom and Germany have also stepped back. The United Nations’ humanitarian funding has been slashed by nearly 40 percent compared to 2024, totaling only $15 billion in 2025. Today, Americans collectively spend more on Halloween candy than tax-funded humanitarian assistance.

Now is a good time to take stock, address the fictions about foreign aid that contributed to its dismantling, and embrace a reform agenda that can truly fix a beleaguered aid system.

The human cost over the last year has been dramatic. The Center for Global Development estimated that up to 1.6 million lives could have been saved if U.S. funding wasn’t cut. The Gates Foundation recently found that, for the first time this century, global child mortality is rising. The Lancet reported that approximately 23 million lives could be lost in 93 low- and middle-income countries by 2030 due to defunding trends.

For the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which I lead, 2 million clients lost services completely, and 6 million suffered service reductions over the........

© Foreign Policy