The Trump administration will announce on Friday that, after abolishing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), it will consolidate foreign aid into a newly established "Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response" within the State Department, with a staff of just over 200 people, equivalent to about 5% of the original USAID workforce. At the same time, the U.S. international humanitarian aid budget for this year has been cut to $5.4 billion, far below the approximately $43 billion managed by USAID in fiscal year 2023. The government claims that this move aims to improve efficiency, cut climate and social issue programs, and focus resources on "life-saving" work. However, this reorganization also reflects the Trump administration's shift in foreign aid from traditional large-scale global projects to a more transactional and bilateral exchange model. Critics warn that significantly shrinking the aid system would greatly weaken America's global health and humanitarian influence. Meanwhile, while the Trump administration has pledged to provide $2 billion to the UN humanitarian fund, it has also more clearly tied aid to strategic interests. Regarding a New York Times report that the State Department considered pressuring Zambia's life-saving AIDS aid to secure access to key minerals, the department did not confirm it directly but emphasized its willingness to assist the country in improving its healthcare system, and also hopes it will modernize industries including mining to attract investment and serve U.S. strategic interests.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860243075429451/
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