Doctors Without Borders Says Trump Aid Cuts 'Are a Human-Made Disaster' for Millions

Aid cuts will lead to preventable disease and death

Brett Wilkins for Common Dreams

As the Trump administration, spearheaded by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, dramatically slashes U.S. humanitarian assistance, the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned that the cuts are already "having devastating consequences for people who rely upon aid" across the Global South.

"The U.S. has long been the leading supporter of global health and humanitarian programs, responsible for around 40% of all related funding," Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement. "These U.S. investments have helped improve the health and well-being of communities around the globe—and totaled less than 1% of the annual federal budget."

However, with the Trump administration slashing funding for U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts by 90%, including for programs that fed and provided healthcare for millions of people and fought diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS, MSF USA CEO Avril Benoît said there will be "more preventable deaths and untold suffering around the world."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cathy and I have been longtime supporters of Doctors without Borders. We are awestruck at the courage of their medical personnel who go into disaster and war zones without hesitation to provide desperately needed medical aid without regard to ideology. MSF is usually apolitical and rarely take part in debates over public policy. That they are speaking out on Trump's aid cuts highlights what terrible harm these cuts are doing.   - Will Collette

"These sudden cuts by the Trump administration are a human-made disaster for the millions of people struggling to survive amid wars, disease outbreaks, and other emergencies," Benoît warned. "We are an emergency response organization, but we have never seen anything like this massive disruption to global health and humanitarian programs."

"The risks are catastrophic, especially since people who rely on foreign assistance are already among the most vulnerable in the world," she added.

Although MSF received no U.S. government funding, the group noted that "we work closely with other health and humanitarian organizations to deliver vital services, and many of our activities involve programs that have been disrupted due to funding cuts."

"It will be much more difficult and costly to provide care when so many ministries of health have been affected globally and there are fewer community partners overall," the group said. "We will also be facing fewer places to refer patients for specialized services, as well as shortages and stockouts due to hamstrung supply chains."

"It's shocking to see the U.S. abandon its leadership role in advancing global health and humanitarian efforts," Benoît said. "U.S. assistance has been a lifeline for millions of people... We urge the administration and Congress to maintain commitments to support critical global health and humanitarian aid."

The MSF warning comes after the United Nations World Food Program said earlier this month that the Trump cuts to lifesaving aid programs "could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation."