Opinion - The Aftermath of Feeding America's Credibility Into the Woodchipper : Shared by Tom McDermott

USAID was one of the first agencies Elon Musk 'fed to the Woodchipper' on behalf of the Trump Administration.  Many articles have appeared in the months since those cuts detailing the damage done. In n this op-ed the author details again the long list. 

More of interest is his mention of how the US has shifted to a transactional approach supporting particular political needs of the moment - Israel's demand for support to the infamous Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and Equatorial Guinea's demand for cash in return for taking deportees shipped abroad by the US. 

Of course, in some sense US aid has long been 'transactional' in supporting countries of political and military interest (think of Southeast Asia during and after the Vietnam War) , but the two cases the author cites are much more stark examples which are divorced from any long-term policy or strategy.

We can only hope that the US approach to 'transactional aid' does not spread to other donors, and that eventually the Trump Administration will recognize the importance of steady long-range support to meet global humanitarian and development goals.  

There have been some limited steps - a restricted waiver for core HIV treatment under PEPFAR and support for Syria through OCHA pooled funds - but it remains unclear whether these represent meaningful shifts or merely tactical adjustments. It is still too early to see whether these represent 'one-off' tactical responses or signal a longer-range plan to rebuild US humanitarian engagement.

Tom

* A caveat on aid for HIV programming - Mid-2025 reports indicated only ~50% of programs actually restarted, and organizations were still owed tens of millions for completed work.

The limited waiver granted by the US State Department  in late January 2025 only covered core HIV treatment services (not PrEP for most people, not orphans/vulnerable children programs, etc.). 

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Opinion - The Aftermath of Feeding America's Credibility Into the Woodchipper

Jeremy Konyndyk

New York Times

February 8, 2026

Click here for the article: 

USAID's closure previews a dark shift in America's engagement with the world under "America first" foreign policy, according to the author. 

Humanitarian aid reached 25 million fewer people in 2025 than in 2024 despite rising global need, with total US humanitarian spending dropping from $14 billion to $3.7 billion after Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled over 80 percent of relief programs. 

Yet the State Department found ample funding for politicized uses, giving $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation before it shut down amid criticism, and diverting $7.5 million intended for refugee aid to Equatorial Guinea's government to secure deportation agreements. This transactional approach marks a shift in the approach the US has taken for the past 80 years of aid. 

Quotes

"Under pressure from the Israeli government, the State Department waived nine federal procurement requirements and circumvented credible humanitarian organizations to give $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an entity observers say contributed to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians by sending aid seekers on dangerous routes and found to be recruiting personnel from an Islamophobic American motorcycle gang before shutting down amid a wave of global criticism."

"The State Department also diverted $7.5 million of funding intended for refugee aid to the notoriously corrupt government of Equatorial Guinea in order to secure its agreement to accept third-country nationals deported from the United States."

"For 80 years, the legacy of World War II pushed the world toward greater collaboration. That larger philosophy unlocked the greatest period of security and economic growth in world history."

"Ten years from now, a world shaped by Mr. Trump's aid policies will be meaner and more opaque — one where hunger, preventable diseases and desperation spread. It will be a world in which America stands isolated and friendless."