One of President Trump’s first executive orders in January 2025 was to dramatically cut funding and staffing of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This provoked a debate about the benefits vs. cost of the U.S. government spending taxpayers’ money on helping less economically developed countries to strengthen democracy and grow their economies, broadly in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.As of May 2025, the fate of USAID is still hazy. Elements of its emergency aid programs will survive in some form but much of its work in support of sustainable civic development likely will not.Continue Reading
USAID at a Crossroads: Dr. Bronner’s Experience with the US Agency for International Development
by Gero Leson