CGD Experts’ Statements on US Foreign Aid Freeze

On the news that the Trump administration has ordered a pause on US foreign aid funding and a “stop work” order, including for PEPFAR, Javier Guzman, a senior policy fellow and the director of global health policy at the Center for Global Development said:

“We don't know the full extent of the disruptions, but the US is the largest aid provider in the world, with millions of lives depending on its support, making the potential disruptions hugely consequential.

“The impact on bipartisan programs like PEPFAR is particularly unfortunate. PEPFAR’s work, including the distribution of antiretroviral drugs to millions of HIV-positive individuals in low-income countries, represents the kind of cost-effective, life-saving aid that US funding should prioritize.

“Crucially, the memo appears to allow ongoing activities, such as distributing HIV medications, to continue in the short term. However, the way this provision is interpreted will be critical in determining the scope of these programs' survival amidst the uncertainty.”

Gyude Moore, a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and the former public works minister of Liberia, said:

“Some of these spending decisions are long-term contracts, and suspension could carry liabilities for breach of contract.

“These programs include ones that distribute essential medicines, like PEPFAR, which provides anti-retroviral drugs to people who are HIV-positive. Disrupting them puts lives at risk.

“Others are the only thing keeping refugee communities alive. Very vulnerable people will be hurt and it is unclear how this advances American interests.

“US relations with the world are meant to survive any given four-year period, and these actions raise serious questions about the reliability of the United States going forward.”