Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts Could Result in Millions of Preventable Deaths by 2030, Lancet Warns

 

The sweeping cuts to U.S. foreign aid initiated under Donald Trump’s administration could lead to over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030, according to a major new study published in The Lancet. The report, released as global leaders gather for a major United Nations aid conference in Seville, paints a grim picture of the human cost of the funding rollback, warning that children will be disproportionately affected.

 

The research, which analyzed health data across 133 countries, found that nearly one-third of the anticipated deaths would occur among children under five. “The resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,” said Davide Rasella, one of the study’s co-authors and a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. He added, “The funding cuts risk abruptly halting – and even reversing – two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations.”

 

The cuts come in the wake of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, led in part by a cost-cutting initiative previously spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk. In March, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that over 80% of the programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) had been terminated. USAID has long been the cornerstone of American humanitarian outreach, operating in more than 60 countries and helping to prevent widespread disease, hunger, and premature deaths through a variety of health and nutrition initiatives.

 

Rasella and his team estimate that between 2001 and 2021, USAID programs helped prevent approximately 91 million deaths in developing nations. The study’s models project that slashing aid by 83% – the level announced by the Trump administration – could cause at least 14 million excess deaths by the end of the decade. More than 4.5 million of those would be children under the age of five, amounting to nearly 700,000 child deaths every year.

 

The Trump administration has accused USAID of supporting liberal-leaning development agendas and has pledged to restructure its operations. Rubio said roughly 1,000 programs would continue under tighter oversight by the State Department and in coordination with Congress, and insisted they would be managed “more effectively.”

 

But on the ground, aid workers say the effects of the cuts are already devastating. A UN official told the BBC last month that food rations had been slashed to record lows in Kenyan refugee camps, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of starvation. “Hundreds of thousands of people are slowly starving,” the official said.

 

At a hospital in Kakuma, a refugee settlement in northwest Kenya, a BBC crew witnessed the human toll firsthand. A baby girl lay nearly motionless, her skin peeling and wrinkled—classic signs of acute malnutrition. Health workers at the clinic blamed the crisis squarely on the disappearance of U.S. food assistance.

 

The report underscores how reliant much of the developing world remains on consistent U.S. support, and how a sudden withdrawal of that assistance can upend fragile health systems. As world leaders discuss the future of global aid in Seville, many are warning that political decisions made in Washington could have fatal consequences far beyond America’s borders.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC  2025-07-02

 

 

But isn't the cruelty the whole point?

2 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

But isn't the cruelty the whole point?

I think that’s a big part of it the uglier the better sadly……really tells you something about his supporters doesn’t it.

Bad news.  There are studies out already showing that millions starve every year because the collective West can't afford to prop up the entire 3rd world. 

 

That's the way the world is, and the way it will always be.  Long before the Bad Orange Man.  And it'll be that way long after they plant daisies over him.

 

In the meantime, look beyond CNN and MSDNC to see the lunacy that USAID has been funding around the world.  It needs to be reformed.  Bigly.

 

Trump isn't, nor should he be, responsible for the healthcare of the rest of the world. 

 

Much of the money is creamed off by corrupt politicians before it reaches the needy anyway.

 

The Lancet should really "get with the times".

 

These are poor, brown, foreign people. Diaper Donnie simply doesn't care!

23 minutes ago, JAG said:

The Lancet should really "get with the times".

 

These are poor, brown, foreign people. Diaper Donnie simply doesn't care!

 

Like Obama did?  Or Biden, or Clinton, or... or...  Millions died every year on their watch, too.

 

This is just a regurgitated story from a few months ago... 

 

Where was the lancet report when millions were dying due to bombs dropped in US led wars?

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Trump isn't, nor should he be, responsible for the healthcare of the rest of the world. 

 

Much of the money is creamed off by corrupt politicians before it reaches the needy anyway.

 

 

Majority of Americans support providing medicine and medical supplies. Trump is either not listening or he is has no empathy to the deaths and sufferings. 

 

While corruption can be a challenge, the US Government employs various measures to mitigate this and ensure aid reaches its intended beneficiaries. The assertion that aid ends up in the hands of corrupt politicians is not an accurate assertion. 

 

independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/usaid-trump-foreign-aid-poll-republicans-b2694265.html

54 minutes ago, JAG said:

The Lancet should really "get with the times".

 

These are poor, brown, foreign people. Diaper Donnie simply doesn't care!

And neither does the average MAGA.

That is money they could be using on soda, hamburgers and donuts for themselves which is also killing them.

2 hours ago, impulse said:

Bad news.  There are studies out already showing that millions starve every year because the collective West can't afford to prop up the entire 3rd world. 

 

That's the way the world is, and the way it will always be.  Long before the Bad Orange Man.  And it'll be that way long after they plant daisies over him.

 

In the meantime, look beyond CNN and MSDNC to see the lunacy that USAID has been funding around the world.  It needs to be reformed.  Bigly.

 

The 3rd world should use condoms

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Trump isn't, nor should he be, responsible for the healthcare of the rest of the world. 

 

Much of the money is creamed off by corrupt politicians before it reaches the needy anyway.

 

The comment is obscenely oversimplified on many levels, but you won't care so this is addressed to others to expose your misguided thoughts, not to you.

1. Global Health Impacts U.S. Interests: Foreign aid for health, like funding for disease prevention, benefits the U.S. by reducing global pandemics that could spread domestically. For example, unchecked diseases abroad (e.g., Ebola, HIV) can become U.S. public health threats. Aid stabilizes regions, reducing migration and security risks.
2. Moral and Leadership Role: As a global leader, the U.S. has historically supported humanitarian efforts, which enhances its soft power and influence. Cutting aid could erode this, weakening alliances and increasing global instability, which affects U.S. interests.
3. Corruption Oversimplification: While corruption exists, the claim that "much of the money is creamed off" ignores mechanisms like oversight, audits, and direct program funding (e.g., PEPFAR) that ensure aid reaches intended recipients. Many programs bypass corrupt systems, delivering vaccines, medicines, and training effectively.
4. Economic Misconception: Foreign aid is a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (less than 1%), yet it saves millions of lives. The Lancet study likely highlights how cuts could lead to preventable deaths from diseases like malaria or tuberculosis, which aid effectively targets. The comment dismisses this impact without evidence.
5. Ignoring Data: The comment lacks empirical support. Studies, like those from The Lancet, use rigorous modeling to estimate deaths from reduced aid. Dismissing this as not the U.S.'s responsibility ignores evidence of aid’s effectiveness and the interconnections of global health.

The comment oversimplifies a complex issue, ignores global interdependence, and dismisses data-driven findings without counter-evidence.

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Trump isn't, nor should he be, responsible for the healthcare of the rest of the world. 

 

Much of the money is creamed off by corrupt politicians before it reaches the needy anyway.

 

Exactly.

As a Yank, I hate ALL foreign aid ... ALL

 

Little actually gets to where it's suppose to go, if it even leaves the USA.   As long as US citizens living on the streets, needing govt assistance to feed their kids and also dying because they can't afford healthcare, then screw the rest of the world.   

 

Take care of yourselves for once.   USA is tapped out, and borrowing money to give away is just economic suicide for the USA.

Correct. But since the man does not have a compassionate bone in his body, and he only thinks about himself, poor people around the world dying or starving to death never enters even the periphery of his small mind. 

 

The ugly bull just passed is a great example of that. 

 

Rogue capitalism is what we have with Trump & his Project 2025 band of robber barrons. They will feed on the people, robbing them of even life’s essentials and then they will turn on each other because they are predators and don’t know any other way to be in the world. Why? Because they are ruled by ego and it’s greed.

 

 

But, we will NOT forget how they voted to throw grandma out of the nursing home, deny a newborn and it’s mother any health care under Medicaid, rip away health insurance from up to 17 million Americans and put the burden of paying for their health care needs on us! the payees of employment health care benefits because our premiums WILL go up.

 

That’s not even to mention the $3.3 TRILLION the OMB has calculated this horrendous monstrosity will swell the national debt.

20 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

As a Yank, I hate ALL foreign aid ... ALL

 

Little actually gets to where it's suppose to go, if it even leaves the USA.   As long as US citizens living on the streets, needing govt assistance to feed their kids and also dying because they can't afford healthcare, then screw the rest of the world.   

 

Take care of yourselves for once.   USA is tapped out, and borrowing money to give away is just economic suicide for the USA.

Misplaced outrage. Foreign aids total $70 billons paled against the $114 billions in tax cut for the richest 1%. Totally unnecessary cut for the 1% filty rich while the neglecting the millions in poverty dying and suffering. 

The biggest problem in the world that causes far more deaths than anything else is corruption.  Next is greed, Next is stupidity.  And there is nothing worse than a stupid corrupt greedy person, or group of people, in charge of a country.

 

Delusional woke liberals (socialists) just do not understand that if all the money and all the food in the world was shared evenly - we would all be poor, destitute and starving and the world would fall apart an all of it would be the 3rd world (again). The $billions and $billions of money and food that have been 'given' to 3rd world countries since I was a boy, have not solved the problem - corruption, greed and stupidity - and never will.

 

The ONLY viable solution is Law and Order enforced under a Democracy.  The best solution is to give people the incentive to rise up and fix things themselves - giveaways just give them a reason to take whatever is given, accept things as they are, and to 'stay down'.  We in the west did not become they way we are by wishing it - we rose up and took over - and implemented Democracies (and Communism) and the rule of Laws and Order.  It is no secret - how we did what we did is there to copy and implement - they chose not to because of fear and stupidity - and giving them money and food only makes it worse, and keeps the corrupt and greedy in control.  What the corrupt and greedy in charge fear most of all is the People rising up and getting rid of them, to implement a Democracy and a system of Law and Order that treats every person the same and a Society that encourages all to do the best they can with their lives.  

29 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Misplaced outrage. Foreign aids total $70 billons paled against the $114 billions in tax cut for the richest 1%. Totally unnecessary cut for the 1% filty rich while the neglecting the millions in poverty dying and suffering. 

That's 70 biillion that can be spent on US citizens.  And that 70 billions is borrowed money @ 4.625, that never gets paid back.   So how much is B70, plus infinite amount of interest.

 

The US only pays the interest on it's debt, and just keeps raising the debt ceiling, so the B70 isn't really B70.

 

 

1 hour ago, WorriedNoodle said:

 

The comment is obscenely oversimplified on many levels, but you won't care so this is addressed to others to expose your misguided thoughts, not to you.

1. Global Health Impacts U.S. Interests: Foreign aid for health, like funding for disease prevention, benefits the U.S. by reducing global pandemics that could spread domestically. For example, unchecked diseases abroad (e.g., Ebola, HIV) can become U.S. public health threats. Aid stabilizes regions, reducing migration and security risks.
2. Moral and Leadership Role: As a global leader, the U.S. has historically supported humanitarian efforts, which enhances its soft power and influence. Cutting aid could erode this, weakening alliances and increasing global instability, which affects U.S. interests.
3. Corruption Oversimplification: While corruption exists, the claim that "much of the money is creamed off" ignores mechanisms like oversight, audits, and direct program funding (e.g., PEPFAR) that ensure aid reaches intended recipients. Many programs bypass corrupt systems, delivering vaccines, medicines, and training effectively.
4. Economic Misconception: Foreign aid is a tiny fraction of the U.S. budget (less than 1%), yet it saves millions of lives. The Lancet study likely highlights how cuts could lead to preventable deaths from diseases like malaria or tuberculosis, which aid effectively targets. The comment dismisses this impact without evidence.
5. Ignoring Data: The comment lacks empirical support. Studies, like those from The Lancet, use rigorous modeling to estimate deaths from reduced aid. Dismissing this as not the U.S.'s responsibility ignores evidence of aid’s effectiveness and the interconnections of global health.

The comment oversimplifies a complex issue, ignores global interdependence, and dismisses data-driven findings without counter-evidence.

 

Classic Liberal hand wringing. 

 

There are people starving in the USA. People dying because they cannot afford healthcare. People homeless. National debt at 36 Trillion dollars.

 

Who elected the US as a global leader? A bastion of morals? 

 

Trump has already shown how easy it is to control borders and security risks. 

 

Why should they be paying for this?

 

10 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Who elected the US as a global leader? A bastion of morals? 

 

 

 

 

The US elected itself as the global leader.

After WW2, it was the only country to come out on top, emerging as the only real global economic superpower, with a strong industrial base and a large consumer market ready to spend after years of wartime restriction. This continues to this day with a $30 trillion economy, which is some $10 trillion more than China and dwarves all other countries. They have used this power and money to initially keep Russia 'in check' (and lately China), building bases throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and The Middle East. Currently the US has 171,736 active-duty troops deployed across 178 countries. 

 

To now say 'it's not our responsibility any more' is just pure madness as you can't have it both ways - if you've declared YOURSELF the 'leader of the free world' then you can't all of a sudden declare yourself 'America only' as Trump and his idiot brigade of sycophants are now trying to do. So who fills the gap if Trump gets his way? Well the obvious answer would be China who have for years through their belt and road initiative been trying to garner influence but who now have an even clearer path to world influence and eventual dominance. But because ol' Donny has the attention span of an over-excited spaniel, he cannot fathom world economics never mind the consequences of his actions, which includes killing millions of people throughout the world by gutting US Aid.

 

Cheerio America. It's been nice having you around for as long as we have, now can you please hurry and move over whilst China takes over. 



 

With sadness, I can see some here seemed to abandon an aspect of American value because of fealty to Trump. 

Helping those less fortunate and philanthropy is a significant part of American value. Trump abdicate this long cherished value and his flock followed suit. 

 

 

Donnie is not a president for the poor.

For those he don't care.

They have no voice and so don't exist.

His golf buddies are more or most important.

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

The sweeping cuts to U.S. foreign aid initiated under Donald Trump’s administration could lead to over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030

So Why the winging . the USA Doesn't have to support The rest of the world with Donations . 

Donations made from the USA Taxpaying public ,

American people First ,ASK the Taxpaying  public First if it's ok to waste their Tax money on other countries . 

No matter what the countries are using the money for The public Has the Right to know .

52 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

That's 70 biillion that can be spent on US citizens.  And that 70 billions is borrowed money @ 4.625, that never gets paid back.   So how much is B70, plus infinite amount of interest.

 

The US only pays the interest on it's debt, and just keeps raising the debt ceiling, so the B70 isn't really B70.

 

 

 

That math works for a private $70 billion mortgage over 100–200 years at 4.625%—but the Treasury borrows differently:

1. Issuing fixed maturities
   The Treasury issues bills, notes, and bonds with set maturities and coupons, then redeems or refinances principal at each maturity—no perpetual amortization.

2. Capturing lower rates
   The average yield on public debt was about 2.5% in 2023, not 4.625%.

3. Rolling over debt
   With a ~6-year average maturity, roughly one-sixth of debt matures annually; in 2024, the Treasury rolled over $28.5 trillion.

4. Paying finite interest
   FY 2023 net interest totaled $678 billion; interest is paid as due; principal at maturity.

NB: Inflation substantially reduces the real value of outstanding debt over time.
 

Bottom line: $70 billion boosts this year’s borrowing but isn’t a perpetual 4.625% mortgage—and it’ll still wind up funding billionaire tax cuts under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.

9 hours ago, Social Media said:

could lead to over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030

Is that more or less than doctor Bill Gates will cause with his "vaccines" ?

9 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

But isn't the cruelty the whole point?

You are free to write a check.

3 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

And neither does the average MAGA.

That is money they could be using on soda, hamburgers and donuts for themselves which is also killing them.

 

They think when they become millionaires it'll save them taxes.

3 hours ago, frank83628 said:

This is just a regurgitated story from a few months ago... 

 

Where was the lancet report when millions were dying due to bombs dropped in US led wars?

Has the Lancet published a report on how many people have dies as a result of Putin's attack and war on Ukraine?

3 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

 

Majority of Americans support providing medicine and medical supplies. Trump is either not listening or he is has no empathy to the deaths and sufferings. 

 

While corruption can be a challenge, the US Government employs various measures to mitigate this and ensure aid reaches its intended beneficiaries. The assertion that aid ends up in the hands of corrupt politicians is not an accurate assertion. 

 

independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/usaid-trump-foreign-aid-poll-republicans-b2694265.html

So you'd believe the telegraph in the UK over Musk's Doge team that were actually physicaly going through the books?

6 minutes ago, Mike_Hunt said:

You are free to write a check.

 

Exactly.

 

There are plenty of charities available for the pearl clutching Liberals to donate to if they wish to send money out of the country. At least that will pay for the luxury accomodation, huge salaries and chauffeurs of the bosses working at the NGO's (it will probably fund their children's private education as well), rather than enriching third world dictators.

 

The American people voted for Trump, who made it perfectly clear before the election that he was putting America first.