A new study projects that over 14 million people, including 4.5 million children under five, could die by 2030 due to the Trump administration’s drastic cuts to US foreign aid. 

The research, published in The Lancet on Monday as global leaders convene at a UN conference in Spain to address the struggling aid sector, underscores the dire consequences of dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which until January 2025 accounted for over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding.

In February 2025, Elon Musk, a close advisor to President Trump and the world’s richest individual, claimed to have put USAID “through the woodchipper.”

The study, led by Davide Rasella of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), warns that the 83 percent funding cut announced by the US government could reverse two decades of health progress in vulnerable populations.

“The shock to low- and middle-income countries would be comparable to a global pandemic or major armed conflict,” Rasella said.

Analyzing data from 133 countries, the researchers found that USAID funding prevented 91 million deaths between 2001 and 2021.

The projected cuts could result in 700,000 child deaths annually, with significant impacts on preventable diseases. USAID programs were linked to a 15 percent overall reduction in mortality, with child mortality dropping by 32 percent.

High USAID support correlated with 65 percent fewer HIV/AIDS deaths and 50 percent reductions in deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases.

Source: Press TV