USAID Cuts May Cause Over 14 Million Additional Deaths by 2030
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
President Donald Trump's administration, since taking office in January, has made funding cuts to USAID and its aid programs worldwide in what the U.S. government says is part of its broader plan to remove wasteful spending.
Human rights experts and advocates have warned against the cuts. USAID funding has had a crucial role in improving global health, primarily directed toward low and middle-income countries, particularly African nations, according to the study.
BY THE NUMBERS
The study estimated that over the past two decades, USAID-funded programs have prevented more than 91 million deaths globally, including 30 million deaths among children.
Projections suggest that ongoing deep funding cuts - combined with the potential dismantling of the agency - could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths among children younger than 5 years, the study in The Lancet said.
Washington is the world's largest humanitarian aid donor, amounting to at least 38% of all contributions recorded by the United Nations. It disbursed $61 billion in foreign assistance last year, just over half of it via USAID, according to government data.
KEY QUOTE
"Our estimates show that, unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030," the study said.
CONTEXT
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March the Trump administration canceled over 80% of all programs at USAID following a six-week review.
The remaining approximately 1,000 programs, he said, would now be administered "more effectively" under the U.S. State Department and in consultation with Congress.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington;Editing by Mary Milliken and Jamie Freed)
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Here's what some of those phrases are: Calling any foods or drinks 'bad' is a diet culture red flag, said Sam Previte, a registered dietitian and the founder of Find Food Freedom. And that's true whether you're referring to a certain food, ingredient or even yourself after eating something. 'That's applying morality to food, and it's so important to recognize that removing morality from food, meaning calling it good or bad, can help make peace with it,' said Previte. Sometimes, people think they can just eat 'healthy food' and rid their lives of any guilt or shame that could come from eating these more fun foods, Previte noted. 'Sure, you could try that for a little bit, but diets are unsustainable, you're going to eat these fun foods like cake and pizza, and they should be enjoyed,' she said. 'There is no meal plan in the world that is going to be able to remove guilt and shame from your eating experiences if you're feeling those, and that's where this intuitive eating, anti-diet work comes in,' Previte said. Nutrient-dense foods play an important role in your meal plan, but so do 'these fun, indulgent foods that taste so good and are so much more than just fuel. They're tradition, they're culture, they're emotions, they're comfort. They're so many things,' she said. 'Clean eating' is all over social media and even on the shelves of certain grocery stores, but it's a term that anti-diet dietitians take issue with. 'How do we define 'clean'? One, we don't even have the definition for what ultra-processed food is right now that anyone can agree on, and so how do we define 'clean'?' said Chan. 'Is it that you wash your food or you wash your hands before eating? If so, that's great, but I think ... it's rooted from this place of chemophobia,' which is a fear or prejudice against chemicals. And, it's worth noting that everything is made up of chemicals, even those pieces of fruit which are often referred to as a 'clean' food. 'It's only when there is a nutrition label with 'scary' ingredients listed do people think that they're about to eat something 'bad,'' Chan added. (Which, of course, isn't true.) 'The clean eating really, really bothers me because also, on the flip side of that, if you're not eating 'clean,' then what does that mean? That means that you're eating dirty, and nobody wants to be 'dirty,'' Chan added. 'I often see people talking about empty calories, and that's just a false narrative,' Previte said. 'I cringe at my younger self. I often talk about how I was taught to be more of a diet culture dietitian, as most dietitians are classically trained in restricting people, and so I remember using that rhetoric of 'Well, that's an empty calorie because it doesn't provide a lot of nutrient density,'' said Previte. While certain foods do provide different vitamins and minerals, all calories provide our body with energy, Previte noted. 'So, there's no such thing as an empty calorie. You'll find a lot of people use that terminology for a donut, or some type of carb-rich food, usually,' she said. If you were stranded on an island and only had donuts to eat, it would be nutritious, delicious and keep you alive by supplying your body with calories, Previte said. Meaning, there is nothing 'empty' about those calories. Cheat meals and cheat days are synonymous with workout and diet culture. For example, someone who's trying to hit a certain weight may refer to the weekend as their 'cheat days' or may refer to a lunch out with friends as a 'cheat meal.' But using the phrase 'cheat meals' once again brings morality into food, Previte said. 'If we believe that all food is neutral, or if we believe that all foods fit, there's no such thing as cheating, because it's just food,' added Previte. Processed foods are forever vilified by wellness influencers who call these products 'bad' and link them to health issues, but processed foods are simply items that are altered from their original state in any way, whether that's by washing, mixing, cooking or freezing. 'I don't eat processed foods ... what does that mean? You don't cut your carrots and you don't wash them? Because technically, that's processing them,' said Chan. When people hear the phrase 'processed foods,' they think of items that aren't nutrient-dense and 'shouldn't' be part of their meal plan, but this couldn't be further from the truth. 'A lot of these foods are just accessible, whether it be from an ability standpoint, some people may not be able to chop and cut all of their fruits and vegetables,' Chan said. Or maybe someone doesn't want their fresh veggies to go bad so they opt for frozen or canned alternatives, she added. If you wander down the supplement aisle at the grocery store, you'll likely see products that promise a 'cleanse' or 'detox,' whether that's a juice, tea, powdered concoction or pill. These items fuel the idea that detoxes are necessary, when they actually really aren't (and products can't detox you). 'Anytime I see those words [detox or cleanse], it's just automatic eye roll,' Previte said. 'We have organs that exist in our body that cleanse us of things that we don't need,' she explained. 'If we have access to clean water, water helps flush out our bodies,' Previte added. No green powder or tea is going to detox or cleanse you. Instead, your organs and body will handle that. 'I love to explain to people, the only detox you should be doing is a social media detox of the wellness influencers and bullshit con artists that are making you feel bad about your food choices and your body,' Previte said. You may have heard (or used) the phrase 'calories don't count,' particularly on vacation, during the holidays or over the weekend, said Kathleen Meehan, a registered dietitian. Maybe you've used it as an 'excuse' when sipping a fruity cocktail on vacation or while eating your mom's baked pies on Thanksgiving. This is a phrase that's often thrown around without much thought, but it's one that drives Meehan up the wall. 'Calories absolutely 'count,' and thank goodness they do. Calories are units of energy,' Meehan said. 'They provide our bodies with energy,' she added. Instead of telling yourself that calories don't count in order to eat something you like, 'I encourage clients to reconsider 'low calorie' as 'low energy,'' said Meehan. 'Suddenly that low-calorie meal doesn't sound so helpful,' she noted. Diet culture is deeply rooted into nearly everything we do. You likely won't be able to just stop thinking of certain foods as 'bad' or referring to certain meal plans as 'eating clean' at the drop of a hat. Instead, it'll take some work. There are anti-diet dietitians, many of whom take insurance, who can specifically help you, but overall, there are a few things you can do to fight back against these intrusive diet culture thoughts. 'The first step is awareness — just naming when a thought is rooted in diet culture can be powerful,' said Soto. Instead of judging yourself for having these thoughts, get curious, Soto said. 'Ask yourself, 'Where did I learn this?' or 'Who benefits when I feel bad about my body?'' Soto added. 'Then, we work on reframing. That might sound like 'all foods fit,' or 'I'm allowed to enjoy food without earning it,'' she said. It's also important to surround yourself with weight-neutral voices, to set boundaries in conversations that trigger you and reconnect with your body's food signals, Soto said. If you do find yourself saying any of these diet-culture-coded phrases, Previte said you shouldn't feel ashamed. Diet culture is a beast to fight back against as this rhetoric comes from generations of food habits and a media landscape that celebrates thin bodies. 'You're going to be inundated with all of these messages,' Chan added. But, 'just because something's normalized doesn't mean it's normal,' Chan said. Society has made it normal to associate certain foods with guilt or bad feelings, but that doesn't have to be the case. Your food choices don't have to come with guilt or shame, and instead can be an opportunity for you to nourish your body with the nutrients and joy it needs. If you're struggling with an eating disorder, call or text 988 or chat for support. 6 Common Phrases You May Not Realize Are Actually Fat-Shaming Have You Been Cooking With Your Pans For Too Long? Here's How To Tell Nutritionists Are So Worried You Aren't Getting These 4 Nutrients, They're Calling It A 'Public Health Concern'
