This headline may sound cynical but, although the mission of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to serve the poor and marginalized around the world is rooted in true altruistic instincts, the important side effect is winning friends and allies at the margins of these societies. Costing less than 1% of the total U.S. budget, USAID works in over 100 countries in the developing world and responds to an average of 75 crises every year. It provides assistance in economic growth, creating markets for U.S. exports; improves trade; strengthens democracy and governance; improves health in all areas; supports agricultural best practices; and so much more.

All of this is more than just charity, it is an investment in stability, diplomacy and U.S. interests. This assistance “buys” us friends all over the world. 

My 38-year career in international public health communication at a leading school of public health was funded primarily by USAID. I implemented programs providing information on maternal and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention and treatment, and, more recently, national strategies to detect and combat emerging zoonotic diseases like Ebola, H5 bird flu, COVID-19, mpox and others. This work resulted in healthier populations and saved lives. 

I do not consider myself or my colleagues at the university or in USAID to be part of a “criminal organization” or “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” according to Elon Musk, nor that it was “run by a bunch of radical lunatics,” as President Trump claimed. 

How one unelected multi-billionaire has the authority to destroy an organization mandated and funded by Congress since 1961 is incomprehensible. The void left around the world will surely hurt U.S. standing in the eyes of so many and the resulting increased poverty, we know, encourages the radicalization of youth. 

It is a sad day for the U.S. to abandon one of its most successful foreign relations initiatives to the whims of someone who has no clue as to the long-term implications.

Edson Whitney had a career as a senior health communication specialist, implementing programs in numerous countries in Africa and Asia.