The recent, sweeping freeze on virtually all US foreign assistance represents one of the most dramatic shifts in American foreign policy in decades. Marco Rubio, now serving as both Secretary of State and Acting Administrator of USAID, has spearheaded a comprehensive review of all foreign assistance programs, effectively halting nearly all outgoing funding.

While many Americans believe that US foreign aid makes up a large cut of federal spending, in reality, it accounts for less than 1%. Despite its small footprint on the federal budget, US foreign aid has an outsized impact on global stability, security, and economic prosperity, as well as the health and wellbeing of millions of the most vulnerable around the world. What’s more, foreign aid actually leads to billions of dollars that support American businesses and organizations that work with USAID to help deliver the essential goods and services it provides.

Though waivers have been granted in some cases to provide essential life-saving assistance, a lack of clarity from the White House has left critical programs in limbo, jeopardizing both global stability and US interests.

Here are just a few examples of programs and lives immediately impacted by this freeze: 

Humanitarian Crises

The ripple effects of humanitarian crises extend beyond national borders, threatening regional stability and creating conditions that could foster violent extremism, risking planting seeds for future crises down the line. 

• The sudden suspension of funding is expected to leave over 1.2 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo without life-saving support. This aid freeze occurred amid escalating violence in eastern Congo, where millions were already displaced, and the outbreak of mpox has been declared a global emergency. 
• In Afghanistan, where humanitarian aid underpins nearly all essential services for its 40 million citizens, around 50 aid organizations have suspended operations, leaving vulnerable populations without critical support. 
• While it’s less than 1% of the federal budget, US aid nonetheless makes up around 47% of global humanitarian assistance. Nearly half of international aid disappearing in a second means that humanitarian crises are likely to intensify worldwide.

Food Security

The aid freeze has also disrupted food security programs, despite an exemption that had been announced in place for critical, life-saving food assistance. 

• In Nepal, a $72 million nutrition program has been suspended, affecting vulnerable populations and US agricultural exports. 
• In Sudan, where people are currently facing a dire famine, soup kitchens that fed over 800,000 people have shut down. 
• The shutdown of FEWS Net, a critical famine early warning system designed to prevent incidences of mass starvation, has crippled hunger monitoring efforts in dozens of regions around the world, including Yemen, Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Security

The evidence is clear: foreign aid strengthens both national and global security. USAID has been instrumental in fostering alliances, supporting counterterrorism efforts, and stabilizing volatile regions. The funding pause jeopardizes undoing years of progress. 

• In Syria, the White Helmets — a volunteer rescue group known for life-saving efforts and weapons management — have halted operations, raising fears about the proliferation of dangerous chemical weapons in nearby countries.
• In Jordan, refugee families who fled ISIS now face uncertain futures as USAID-funded education and healthcare programs are suspended. 
• The suspension has also disrupted intelligence programs in Côte d'Ivoire countering Al Qaeda-related incidents in the region. 

Health

US-funded programs have also been pivotal in combating global health crises. If left unchecked, these crises can quickly spiral, destabilizing regions and affecting global health security everywhere, including in the US, as viral diseases spread with no regard to borders or nationality.

• The funding freeze has halted the distribution of essential medical supplies preventing childhood diarrhea and maternal hemorrhage, leading causes of death in developing countries. 
• Services for 6.5 million orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV in 23 countries have ceased. 
• HIV clinics supported by PEPFAR (otherwise known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) serving more than 20 million people globally have canceled appointments, leaving millions uncertain over whether they’ll be able to continue receiving treatment. 
• In Cambodia, efforts to eradicate malaria for good within the country, which were just on the brink of success, have halted. 
• The distribution of rapid tests and antimalarial drugs in Myanmar, which has seen malaria cases skyrocket over the last five years, has been suspended. 
• Dozens of clinical medical trials run and monitored by USAID were suddenly stopped without warning, leaving patients in the middle of experimental trials with new drugs or medical products abandoned. 

Civic Space

Aid also helps strengthen democratic institutions, empower individuals and organizations to hold those in power accountable, and helps underserved populations fight for their rights.  

• The suspension of US-backed education programs in Afghanistan has forced the American University of Afghanistan to halt classes, even as it had continued operating and providing education for women in defiance of Taliban rule. 
• The freeze also effectively shut down a grassroots campaign in Sierra Leone to strengthen democracy and human rights in the aftermath of the nation’s decades-long civil war. 
• In countries like Ukraine and Iran, US-funded independent media outlets play a vital role in countering propaganda and disinformation. The funding pause has forced many of these outlets to shut down, leaving a vacuum for authoritarian propaganda and misinformation to spread under repressive conditions.

The consequences of halting US foreign aid are immediate and far-reaching. It’s not as simple as turning funding back on and off like a faucet. As one global health worker stated, “You could open the funding floodgates again tomorrow and you will still have children dying months from now because of this pause.” 

Foreign aid is more than a budget line item; it is a cost-effective, strategic investment in global stability, health, and security, with direct benefits for the United States. The cost of inaction here is measured not just in dollars saved, but in trust lost, security compromised, and lives irreparably harmed.