Dorothy M.
Comments7
It is important for Americans and taxpayers to contact our members Congress (especially if your elected officials are Republican or Libertarian). USAID is funded by the American people - Congress needs to hear from us that we think this is a good use of our tax dollars. You can go here for more info on how to contact your members of congress about this.
Hi Rebecca. I believe the issue is that Trump/Rubio do not want to properly execute this waiver. Everyone who has congressional representation should contact their members of Congress and the media to raise awareness about this issue with the broader American public.
The Trump administration is taking deliberate steps to undermine USAID and its ability to process these urgent waivers. More than half the staff has been fired or terminated in the past week. They're also purging the Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) division, making it harder for Members of Congress to get answers about USAID's work.
This weekend, the USAID site and X account were removed. USAID now has a pared down sub-page under the State Department site, solidifying claims in earlier reporting that this Administration want to dismantle USAID as an independent agency (which many argue would require an act of Congress). But Republican members so far are being very silent about this direct attack on checks and balances and their duties under the constitution.
NYT Gift Link: End Appears Near for U.S. Aid Agency, Democratic Lawmakers say. (2/1/25) "Two incoming Trump administration officials familiar with the matter said the president’s team is exploring subsuming the agency into the State Department. Five others close to the administration said they weren’t aware of specific plans but that USAID’s independence is definitely not guaranteed. All were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak about the issue."
Many implementing partners will not be able to make it the full 90 days. Several are under a communications gag order as part of the stop work order and can't speak freely about the impacts. This Devex article quotes heads of NGOs (who spoke under condition of anonymity to reduce the risk of retribution): "I don't think anyone can survive for 90 days": Aid's grim new reality (1/30/25).
Almost every contractor is already furloughing or laying off staff. On 1/31/25, The CEO of DT Global said that most firms are furloughing +80% of their staff with up to 3,000 in the DC area losing jobs by next week.
Those who have announced furloughs include:
- Chemonics (100% of global health division)
- DT global
- MSH (HQ staff on leave 1-2 weeks, layoff imminent)
Those who have announced layoffs include:
- Credence (95% of staff - this is where the majority of the Institutional Support Contractors (ISCs) who staffed the Global Health Bureau worked)
- Jefferson consulting (100% of ISCs)
- ABT associates
- FHI
- Jhpiego
- Feed the Children
This is a good question Sanjay. Here are my thoughts off the top of my head:
- GiveWell top charities: I'd be curious to hear what others who are more familiar with GiveWell think - but I my hunch is that in the short-term GiveWell top charities may become less cost-effective, because the abrupt stop of US aid is destabilizing the global health delivery infrastructure around the world. Many top charities, like Helen Keller International, have historically received substantial awards from USAID, in addition to private sector donations. If they have to reduce staff (both HQ and in-country) from funding shortfalls from one donor, it could compromise their ability to provide these programs affordably at scale.
- Funding political action: this Administration is taking moves to illegally dismantle USAID and move the agency under the State Department (which many argue would require an act of Congress). USAID is under existential threat, and I think without addressing this, the ability of private NGOs or donors to fill in gaps will be moot. No INGO or private donor can replace USAID's global footprint. Most USAID staff live overseas and are host country nationals; and the network of USAID missions in partner countries spend years building relationships with government ministries. This weekend the USAID.gov site went dark and as of writing (2/2/25 @ 1pm) it's still down as well as the data repositories, reports to congress and other information that used to publicly available. The Administration has purged the agency - at least 50% of the global health bureau workforce was terminated and probably the same for the humanitarian assistance bureau. Many advocacy organizations that also implement USG funded programs are under a communications gag order.
- Is there hope the administration can be influenced by civil society? I believe so. I expect next week lawsuits will be introduced on behalf of NGOs/implementers, plus the Administration's actions to dismantle USAID are not permitted under law. If Congress sits down and takes this - it will be a devastating blow to our system of checks and balances and their oversight role of US funding. You can find information about contacting congress or submitting pieces to the media here (disclaimer: I work at RESULTS) other groups that also don't receive USG funding may have online actions going up imminently.
- I don't think it is possible to donate directly to USAID but I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS if it is. There is virtually no oversight at the agency right now. These catastrophic decisions are being made by Peter Marocco, who is a non-Senate-confirmed appointee. We are at risk of Congress abdicating their responsibility of oversight over our previously appropriated tax dollars. And for those that want to get more involved, the Administration has purged the USAID Legislative and Public Affairs division (LPA) - which interfaces with Congress - severing an important line for accountability and oversight. There's no guarantee additional funds right now would be used for highly effective global health programs. Plus, this aid freeze is in violation of the Prompt Payment Act, so it's possible money that additional funds USAID receives that hadn't been appropriated/obligated for a particular purpose could be used to pay for litigation or paying back interest owed to contractors.
We should ask our elected officials to oppose the Stop-Work order and actively push for its reversal. It's not enough for some programs to receive limited waivers. All key programs run by USAID are implicated in this Stop-Work order, including maternal and child health, nutrition and vitamin A supplementation, and the President's Malaria Initiative. ProPublica released a good piece on this today: "People Will Die": The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That's Not True.
The information about the waivers is chaotic and insufficient for implementing partners to resume work - many are confused about guidance from the U.S. government and cannot proceed. The waivers must be submitted internally to the State Department (from USAID). Over the past week, around 50% of the USAID Global Health Bureau staff were fired or furloughed (~450 technical experts). A similar proportion has probably been fired from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. The administration also put 50+ senior career foreign service officers on administrative leave (some of whom had dozens of staff in their reporting line), undermining the leadership at a key time. (NPR / CNN).
In a press conference on Wednesday, January 29 (and reported by NPR on January 31), the Health Minister from South Africa (the largest PEPFAR portfolio) said, "So far, we haven't received any letter from the American government. Tried to contact the embassy of the U.S. We couldn't get them."
The General State of PEPFAR
PEPFAR has never been in a more precarious position since it was created in 2003. The program has been reauthorized three times, each for 5 years, and last year was the first time it was only reauthorized for one year (until March 2025). A big part of that fight was around false information that PEPFAR-funded partners provided abortions - which would be illegal under U.S. law. Earlier in January (before the inauguration or aid freeze - it feels like another life), U.S. officials briefed Congress that 4 nurses in Mozambique had provided 21 abortions (which is legal there) and had not been trained on compliance with US-funded programs. Procedures have already been put in place to prevent this from happening again. This is the first time this is known to have occurred with a PEPFAR-funded partner in 20 years. This indicates that the monitoring and compliance systems are working as intended.
Republicans in Congress immediately responded. Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Security and Diplomacy, led the charge in the last Congress to delay PEPFAR's reauthorization. He promised a congressional investigation into the CDC for violating the Helms Amendment. Senator Risch, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated: "I will not support one dollar of American money going toward abortion anywhere in the world, and I will do all I can to ensure this never happens again."
I think we are in uncharted territory here. It's true that Congress has the power of the purse. But Trump's pick for Office of Management and Budget Director (Russell Vought) supports impoundment - unilateral action taken by the exectuve branch to delay or cancel appropriations enacted into law.
When asked about Trump's funding freeze the other day, Rep. Tom Cole, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said “Appropriations is not a law, it’s the directive of Congress."
Some Republican members of Congress may not push back on illegal actions without pressure from their constituents.
Unfortunately these waivers have not led to real change on the ground for implementing organizations - many are still unable to operate. More pressure on members of Congress is needed ensure lifesaving programs can continue. This New York Times article published on 2/1 covers more details (gift link).
"In Uganda, the National Malaria Control Program has suspended spraying insecticide into village homes and ceased shipments of bed nets for distribution to pregnant women and young children, said Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the program’s director.
Medical supplies, including drugs to stop hemorrhages in pregnant women and rehydration salts that treat life-threatening diarrhea in toddlers, cannot reach villages in Zambia because the trucking companies transporting them were paid through a suspended supply project of the United States Agency for International Development, U.S.A.I.D.
Dozens of clinical trials in South Asia, Africa and Latin America have been suspended. Thousands of people enrolled in the studies have drugs, vaccines and medical devices in their bodies but no longer have access to continuing treatment or to the researchers who were supervising their care."