Loss of USAID makes America and the world less safe

Elon Musk and President Trump shocked the U.S. foreign policy community and America’s partners around the world with the early and abrupt closure of USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. USAID was a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy and consistently received bipartisan support from Congress.

Experts warned that the decision puts millions of lives in immediate danger, stalls important progress on medicines and vaccines, and creates new security vulnerabilities and power vacuums that America’s adversaries will exploit. Legal scholars also warn that the move is unconstitutional and illegal, and lawsuits are already moving through the U.S. court system.

President Trump says that he has a mandate to decrease federal spending, and indicated that Elon Musk and his DOGE associates are carrying out that work. In 2024, USAID took approximately 0.3% of the U.S. federal budget.

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid lists what she identifies as the key risks with abolishing USAID and defends the agency as a vital tool of U.S. foreign policy and humanitarian relief.

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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

Today, in news that feels like a fever dream but is somehow real, President Trump and his designated tech overlord, Elon Musk, have decided that the U.S. Agency for International Development — USAID, you know, the people who provide food, medical aid, and life-saving assistance to people around the world — is apparently expendable. 

Yes, USAID, the organization that has helped prevent famines, fight HIV/AIDS, and support refugees, is now being scrapped because Trump — meaning Musk, come on, we don’t actually think Trump devotes a single brain cell to actual policy decisions — thinks it’s inefficient. 

In his usual “subtle as a sledgehammer” style, Musk called USAID a “criminal organization” and “beyond repair.” And, yes, oversight of organizations providing international aid is important. But there’s a way to provide thoughtful reassessment with an eye towards improving both the domestic budget and the ways aid is applied overseas… and then there’s, well, this. 

So, what happens when you just delete USAID? Well, nothing good. First off, thousands of people working in global aid efforts — the kind of people taking on largely thankless jobs because they believe in what they’re doing, in other words — are now jobless. Secondly, millions of people relying on that aid — people in war zones, disaster areas, and impoverished communities — are basically being told: “Sorry, we’re out! Good luck!”

Here’s the kicker: While Trump and Musk claim that this is about “America First,” gutting USAID actually hurts America. See, foreign aid isn’t just about being nice; it’s a strategy. It stabilizes governments, builds alliances, and prevents crises that can lead to more war, more migration, and ironically, more expensive problems down the road. 

And if you think that America suddenly ghosting the developing world isn’t going to lead to China and Russia stepping in with their own influence, I have some very valuable Trump NFT trading cards to sell you.