The Second Trump Administration and Development: The First 100 Days

CGD experts explore the aid and development policies of the second Trump administration.

More from the Series

Blog Post
The White House Demonstrates USAID’s Efficiency
February 06, 2025
The White House issued a press release three days ago apparently designed to justify the ongoing stop-work orders at USAID, alongside pulling agency staff out of the field and locking them out of their offices. I’d argue the release demonstrates precisely why these moves are a mistake. The press rel...
Blog Post
Dear Secretary Rubio: You Are Right, Foreign Assistance Works. Please Resume It.
February 05, 2025
Dear Secretary Rubio: There have been few more eloquent advocates for foreign assistance than you. And I believe the case you make for US aid is backed up by considerable empirical evidence. As you have said, “millions of human beings are alive today because [of] the United States, and others in the...
Blog Post
The US Just Postponed a Tariff War with Mexico and Canada for Another Month. What Can We Expect Next?
February 05, 2025
Mexico and Canada have been on the frontline of the new global (dis)order, making their response a potential case study for how economies that are smaller and somewhat dependent on America navigate pressure from the US in this new era of economic coercion. After the 180 degrees reversal on the tarif...
Blog Post
Secretary Rubio: The Waivers Aren’t Working, Please Fix the Process
February 04, 2025
It is urgent to restore operation of America’s life-saving assistance programs, halted under the ongoing 90-day pause of all foreign assistance. Two examples: First, PEPFAR is currently providing lifesaving HIV treatment for 20.6 million people, including 566,000 children. When people come off HIV m...