Trump's Aid Cuts Projected to Result in 14 Million Additional Deaths by 2030

Tue Oct 21 2025 03:29:16 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Research indicates drastic humanitarian funding reductions could severely impact global health, especially among children.

A newly released study warns that proposed cuts to foreign humanitarian aid under the Trump administration could lead to over 14 million excess deaths by 2030, particularly affecting vulnerable populations.

Donald Trump's decision to slash US foreign humanitarian aid funding has sparked alarming predictions from researchers published in The Lancet medical journal. Their findings estimate that these reductions could lead to an additional 14 million deaths over the next five years, with a significant portion of the impact falling on children.

In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed that the administration had discontinued over 80% of programs at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Davide Rasella, a co-author of the Lancet report and researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, emphasized the imminent humanitarian crisis, stating that the impact of these funding cuts would parallel that of a global pandemic or a major military conflict for many low- and middle-income nations.

The study analyzed historical data from 133 countries, revealing that since 2001, USAID funding has reportedly prevented 91 million deaths in developing regions. With the proposed 83% reduction in funding, researchers forecast a grim future: roughly 14 million more deaths could occur by 2030, including over 4.5 million children under five, translating to an estimated 700,000 child fatalities each year.

The Trump administration’s push for budget cuts, led by billionaire Elon Musk’s initiatives, seeks to reduce federal expenditure while claiming USAID supports projects deemed too liberal. At present, the US stands as the largest humanitarian aid provider globally, offering assistance in over 60 countries through various contractors.

Despite Rubio claiming around 1,000 programs would be shifted to the US State Department for "more effective" management, ground reports indicate dire conditions are prevailing. Just last month, a UN official observed that numerous refugees in Kenya are facing severe starvation due to slashed US funding, leading to the lowest food rations recorded.

Disturbing scenes at a Kakuma hospital illustrated the stark reality, with reports of infants, like one observed by the BBC, exhibiting signs of extreme malnutrition. These findings raise urgent concerns about the trajectory of global health amid unprecedented funding cuts.