In refugee camps in Jordan, families who fled the horrors of ISIS have long relied on USAID-funded programs to keep their children in school and access basic medical care. According to humanitarian organizations, that assistance was suspended this past week, as executive orders were issued from Washington D.C., leaving them and millions of others reliant upon life-saving US foreign aid in limbo. Their plight is not an isolated case—it is the direct consequence of the most sweeping rollback of U.S. foreign aid seen in decades.
Senator Marco Rubio, now serving as both Secretary of State and Acting Administrator of USAID, has initiated a widespread review of U.S. foreign aid, halting nearly all outgoing funding and effectively sidelining much of USAID’s workforce. While some waivers have since been issued, the lack of clarity surrounding their implementation has left critical programs in limbo. Rubio frames his review around three fundamental questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?
These are not just fair questions—they are the right ones. Any responsible government should evaluate its foreign aid spending through this lens. But the answers are already evident: U.S. foreign aid, when executed properly, does all three, and has done for decades.
A protester calls for an end to the U.S. foreign aid freeze, arguing it makes America less safe, … [+] weaker, and less prosperous. Critics warn the USAID pause disrupt global security, economic stability, and U.S. influence—contradicting Rubio’s own criteria for aid. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Does Foreign Aid Make America Safer?
In the fight against terrorism and global instability, foreign aid is one of America’s most effective tools. It builds goodwill with critical partners in foreign governments, the private sector and civil society; it improves global health, stopping the next pandemic before it starts; it helps mitigate security concerns abroad before they become security concerns at home.
One doesn’t have to look far for good examples of how powerful this tool is—and what risks we bear when we do not wield it with wisdom. According to the Atlantic Council, U.S. support has been essential in Syria, particularly in backing the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group that has saved thousands of lives through landmine clearance and been involved in securing and disposing of leftover chemical weapons from the Assad regime. With their operations reportedly now in limbo, as a result of the freeze, there are growing fears that these weapons could fall into the wrong hands, endangering not just Syrians but regional and global security.
And then there’s pandemic prevention—USAID programs monitoring bird flu outbreaks in 49 countries have been paused, even after the virus was detected on U.S. soil. If we learned anything from COVID-19, it’s that stopping these threats before they spread is far cheaper—and less deadly—than responding after it’s too late.
If the guiding principle of this review is America’s security, the evidence is overwhelming: USAID funding makes the U.S. and its allies safer. Halting it risks undermining national security in ways that will take decades to repair. As Jeremy Konyndyk, President of Refugees International, put it: “It’s a national security tool kit that has been developed over 60 years. And if it’s destroyed, it cannot be easily rebuilt.”
Does Foreign Aid Make America Stronger?
Strength is not just measured in military might—it’s also measured in the ability to influence outcomes without resorting to violence. Around the world, America’s diplomatic influence is a cornerstone of it’s strength. U.S. foreign aid, and the goodwill, relationships and positive development outcomes it drives, is one of the most effective tools for maintaining that strength.
Take, for example, education. According to NPR, reports from Afghanistan confirm that the American University of Afghanistan, which has operated even under Taliban rule, educating girls and young women in defiance of the government’s harsh edicts, has now suspended classes due to the funding freeze. Yet, ensuring access to education, particularly for women and girls, isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic one. Cutting off access is not just a setback for those students—it’s a setback for America. When U.S.-backed education programs disappear, extremist ideologies may fill the gap, creating the conditions for future terrorist groups to take root. That instability doesn’t stay in Afghanistan—it spreads, increasing risks to our allies and potentially leading to another costly American military intervention down the line.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine and Iran, where U.S.-funded independent media outlets counter Russian and Iranian state propaganda, the funding pause is forcing journalists to shut down their operations. According to Reporters Without Borders, 9 out of 10 local media outlets rely on USAID funding. Cutting off support to independent media cedes the information space to authoritarian regimes that thrive on disinformation, resulting in less oversight, less accountability, and more power for corrupt regimes to operate unchecked.
The U.S. has also long supported health and economic development in Africa as a means of fostering stability and economic partnerships. However, the sudden halt in funding means that over 1.2 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo will lose life-saving support, exacerbating instability and humanitarian crises that, in turn, threaten regional security and economic viability. This not only undermines America’s ability to engage diplomatically and economically with the continent that also happens to be one of the world’s most resource-rich and strategically significant regions.
America’s strength is not just about hard power. It’s about engaging the world through genuine two-way partnership, cooperation, and investment in stability. USAID plays an indispensable role and freezing its funding weakens this engagement.
Does Foreign Aid Make America More Prosperous?
Investing in foreign aid is NOT charity-it’s an investment in the U.S. economy. The majority of US aid goes through US implementing partners and non profit organizations, which employ thousands of Americans. The fact is, countries that receive aid programs often become key trading partners. When these markets stabilize, U.S. businesses benefit.
For example, the aid freeze has halted a $72 million nutrition program in Nepal—disrupting not just humanitarian efforts but also U.S. agricultural exports that supply food aid. This directly impacts American farmers who depend on international markets, costing them revenue and threatening their livelihoods. Meanwhile, thousands of American jobs are now on the line, with layoffs hitting international aid workers and contractors who provide logistics, health, and infrastructure support.
And then there’s public health. The suspension of USAID programs has stopped the distribution of medical supplies that prevent childhood diarrhea and maternal hemorrhage—two of the biggest killers of young children and pregnant women in developing countries. Left unchecked, these crises fuel instability, increase migration pressures, and disrupt trade—costs that ultimately hit the U.S. economy. Moreover, when supply chains in developing economies collapse, it creates economic ripple effects that reach American businesses, from pharmaceuticals to agricultural exports. The truth is, foreign aid is not just about helping foreigners—it’s about ensuring long-term peace and prosperity for Americans.
One final point. Most Americans think foreign aid is a huge part of our budget, but the reality is it makes up less than 1% of government spending. And while some believe the U.S. is overly generous when it comes to global development, the truth is that money actually flows the other way. According to research from the ONE Campaign, developing countries are sending far more money to wealthier nations than they receive. A big part of this comes from corporations taking profits out of these countries without paying their fair share of taxes, and governments of developing countries paying more to service record levels of debt.
This isn’t just an issue for developing nations—it’s an issue for America. If Americans want a world where people can build better lives in their home countries instead of being forced to migrate, and where the U.S. has strong economic partners, we all have a stake fixing tax loopholes through greater cooperation on tax reform. The best part? Doing this wouldn’t cost American taxpayers a dime—it would simply ensure that developing nations keep more of their own money, reducing their need for aid in the first place.
Smart Foreign Aid, Not No Foreign Aid
To be clear, ensuring efficiency and accountability in foreign aid spending is necessary. Wasteful programs should be scrutinized, innovation should be supported, and oversight must be strengthened. But Rubio’s blanket freeze is not the answer. It undermines America’s security, strength, and prosperity in ways that contradict his own stated criteria for foreign aid.
In fact, before becoming Secretary of State, then Senator Rubio himself once tweeted: “Foreign Aid is not charity. We must make sure it is well spent, but it is less than 1% of budget & critical to our national security.” That statement remains true today. The American people deserve aid programs that are effective and aligned with U.S. interests—but they also deserve a strategy based on facts, not abrupt, ill-informed and harmful policy reversals.
Smart aid makes America safer. Smart aid makes America stronger. Smart aid makes America more prosperous. The question now is whether Secretary Rubio will follow his own standard when it comes to U.S. foreign aid—and act in America’s best interests.