A devastating new study published in The Lancet estimates that the drastic reduction of U.S. foreign aid under the Donald Trump administration could lead to more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including over 4.5 million children under the age of five.

The study, conducted by global health researchers from institutions across Europe, Africa, and Latin America, assesses the far-reaching consequences of Washington’s decision to cut humanitarian assistance by 83%, a move formally announced in early 2025.

According to the modeling based on data from 133 countries, the cutbacks threaten to reverse decades of progress in global health—progress largely financed through taxpayer-funded U.S. aid programs like USAID, now being dismantled.

“Genocide does not always take the form of bombs and bullets—it can also come through deliberate deprivation,” said Camila Ortega, a regional policy analyst interviewed by teleSUR. “What we see here is an act of structural violence cloaked in fiscal rhetoric.”

Between 2001 and 2021, programs funded by USAID are credited with preventing an estimated 91 million deaths in low- and middle-income nations. These include:

A 32% drop in child mortality

A 74% reduction in HIV/AIDS deaths

A 53% decline in malaria mortality

Over 50% fewer deaths from neglected tropical diseases

The study’s authors argue that Trump’s policy represents not just economic isolationism, but moral abdication in a world facing mounting humanitarian crises—from Sudanese refugee camps to post-cyclone recovery efforts in Southern Africa.

Already, the effects are being felt: malaria prevention programs have stalled in Kenya, food assistance has been slashed in Chad, and vaccine rollouts in parts of Central America have come to a halt.

Critics warn that the aid cut aligns with a broader trend of U.S. withdrawal from multilateral institutions, raising questions about accountability and the ethics of global leadership.

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