What the American Foreign Aid Freeze Means for Africa

In his second term as the president of the United States, Donald Trump has committed to cutting foreign aid, with a particular focus on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) raising questions about whether we are witnessing a withdrawal of American benevolence or a refashioning of soft power.

Donald Trump has hit the ground running for his second term as president of the United States of America and leader of the proverbial free world. Together with his trusty sidekick, Elon Musk, they have been working tirelessly to remodel the federal government, with a slew of executive orders passed within the first few days. While a lot has already been changed, including eliminating Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts, ramping up mass deportations of (illegal) migrants, and making promises to annex independent territories, the most globally felt action is the cutting back on foreign aid, which took effect soon after President Trump assumed office. In an effort to figure out what is worth spending on and what is not, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been earmarked as the biggest foreign aid demon that must be slain, and as a result, many workers have been put on an employment freeze.  

Across the world, many USAID employees have lost their jobs. Perhaps, most concerning is the fact that funding cuts have dealt a blow to healthcare in the Third World. Countries that rely heavily on the USAID funding to address sexual and reproductive health and rights concerns are bearing the brunt as they run out of pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, condoms and antiretroviral medications that have been vital in treating HIV and preventing new infections. On the other side of the coin, sentiments sympathetic to the cause of the Republican administration have praised the USAID funding cuts, arguing that America has done enough for the rest of the world in providing ‘free money’ for decades and that these funding cuts will finally put America first, as Trump has promised. There have also been reports that the past USAID funding has been utilized to spread agendas conflicting with Republican conservative beliefs, with one report claiming that over $20,000 was spent on a drag show in Ecuador. These two points bear much analysis: while the former promotes an utter falsehood, the latter speaks to some of the intent behind foreign aid. Is foreign aid money really free, generous and beneficial to the citizens it reaches? On the surface, it would appear so. But a critical lens is essential to understanding the workings of foreign aid...