Stopping U.S. Foreign Assistance Makes America Less Safe, Less Secure, and Less Prosperous
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2025
CONTACT
Rachel Levine | rachel@allianceforpeacebuilding.org
Washington, DC, USA — On January 29th, the State Department issued a statement outlining its approach to ensure “every dollar” the U.S. spends, “every program” the U.S. funds, and “every policy” the U.S. pursues make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Overall, foreign assistance accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. budget. Every administration has the prerogative to conduct a review of spending and programs, but the full-scale stop-work order is a wrecking ball approach that takes away our ability to prevent war and reduce violence. It makes the world less safe, less secure, and less prosperous, including the U.S. Resuming foreign assistance is not just the right thing for the U.S. to do—it is the smart thing to do. If you want an increase in global chaos and war, stopping foreign assistance will do just that.
Stopping U.S. foreign assistance does not advance U.S. security interests because it makes the world and Americans less safe and ultimately costs more.
Global violent conflict is at record-breaking levels and increasing. At his confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Rubio stated, “Preventing crises is a lot cheaper and a lot better than dealing with crises after the fact.” Conflict prevention assistance is proven to save American taxpayer money—every dollar invested in conflict prevention saves $16 that would otherwise be spent on expensive humanitarian or security responses.
In Coastal West Africa, U.S. foreign assistance is working to prevent and reduce the drivers of violent extremism and stop the spread of terrorism from the Sahel, the global epicenter for terrorism and violent extremism. Cutting off foreign assistance will escalate the risk of multiple disease outbreaks around the world that know no boundaries and threaten America's security here at home. Ebola is currently spreading in Uganda, and the Marburg virus in Tanzania. In Sudan, violent conflict and atrocities, including genocide, are accelerating the spread of malaria, cholera, and measles and famine. Drug-resistant infections are increasing in Ukrainian war clinics. As foreign assistance is withheld, the risk that these public health crises cross borders grows each day.
In Latin America, U.S. foreign aid strengthens work to address the drivers of migration to the U.S. The foreign assistance freeze paused a program that helps migrants fleeing Venezuela to stay in South American countries, instead of coming to the U.S. Other programs that support local organizations throughout Central and South America working to improve security, access to justice, and living conditions in their communities and countries reduce the need for people to flee to the U.S. and increase regional stability.
Stopping U.S. foreign assistance emboldens and strengthens China and Russia, who will fill the vacuum and undermine U.S. national security and interests.
Halting U.S. foreign assistance reinforces the global perception that the U.S. cannot be trusted to keep its commitments and makes other strategic countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia likely to move away from the U.S. and, instead, partner with China and Russia.
The Russian government is celebrating the dismantling of U.S. foreign assistance, which was a critical part of bringing democracy to eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Recently, the former President and Prime Minister of Russia tweeted about America’s “smart move” to shutter USAID.
However, bipartisan members of Congress recognize the strategic value of U.S. foreign assistance. Republican Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Roger Wicker stated, “USAID is our way of combating [China’s] Belt and Road Initiative.” The Belt and Road Initiative is an investment initiative by the Chinese government that provides high-interest loans to countries globally that they often cannot repay, leaving these states vulnerable to coercion. With U.S. foreign assistance stopped, many countries will turn to China for funding for infrastructure and other projects to fill the gap. USAID’s Power Africa program includes diverse partners and presents a U.S.-led alternative to Chinese infrastructure development by increasing access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in Africa.
Stopping U.S. foreign assistance will have a devastating impact on the American economy, which makes America less prosperous.
Every year, USAID buys $2 billion in U.S. crops from American farmers. Today, $340 million of American food is rotting in ports instead of being distributed to those in need, as noted by Senator Jerry Moran.
The gutting of USAID and the stop work order has disrupted thousands of American jobs in the development sector and will have a multiplier effect across the U.S. in local economies, from the research triangle corridor in North Carolina to all across the Midwest. Thousands of American jobs will be lost, and American companies rely on foreign assistance to help countries grow and develop so they can make stronger commercial ties with the U.S.
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), named the “number one influencer and change agent” among peacebuilding institutions worldwide, is an award-winning nonprofit and nonpartisan network of 225+ organizations working in 181 countries to prevent and reduce violent conflict and build sustainable peace. AfP cultivates a network to strengthen and advance the peacebuilding field, enabling peacebuilding organizations to achieve greater impact—tackling issues too large for any one organization to address alone.