The Second Trump Administration and Development: The First 100 Days

Last week we presented some estimates of the extent and distribution of cuts to USAID assistance. Since then, a list of active USAID projects has also been leaked. We recalculate our estimates of active and cancelled USAID grants from this data.

The US Administration has presented a weak case for its argument that US foreign assistance was so riddled with abuse and fraud that the only answer was to shut down USAID and reboot. The lists of terrible projects and “appalling waste” don’t show any evidence of fraud or abuse, and I’d argue most o...

Aid agencies across Europe and North America are seeing their budgets slashed. Replenishments to multilateral agencies from the International Development Association (IDA) through Gavi to the Global Fund are under threat. The countries most at risk are those most reliant on foreign assistance to fun...

The Trump Administration has signaled that it would like to shut down USAID and absorb its programs into the State Department. That proposal should involve Congress directly, as USAID is an independent agency established under legislation. And lawmakers might want to consult the international record...