Trump's 'America First' Aid Cuts Leave 6.2 Million in Crisis

6.2 million people across seven African nations face "extreme or catastrophic conditions," according to the UN. But they have little to offer America in return—and that, apparently, is enough to seal their fate.

According to an internal State Department email obtained by The Atlantic, the Trump administration will soon end all humanitarian funding to Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, and Zimbabwe as part of a "responsible exit." Unlike previous cuts to Afghanistan and Yemen, where the administration cited terrorist diversion of resources, these programs are being canceled for one reason: "there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests."

The Calculus of Survival

This represents the second wave of Trump's foreign aid overhaul. Last year, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, helped purge 83% of American foreign aid. The programs now being cut had survived precisely because federal workers had convinced Trump appointees they met the administration's strict definition of "lifesaving"—meaning "if we don't deliver this, people die immediately."

The pattern is revealing. Six of the seven countries being cut mine comparatively few minerals that the Trump administration needs for the AI boom. Only Cameroon has accepted a handful of U.S. deportees. Meanwhile, the State Department has restored or offered aid elsewhere in exchange for mineral rights or deportee acceptance agreements.

Somalia, facing a severe drought that could deteriorate into full-blown famine by summer, will receive no American humanitarian funding at all. Hundreds of health and nutrition centers have already shut down after last year's cuts, according to Doctors Without Borders. Deaths among severely malnourished children under 5 have increased by 44% in one regional hospital.

When Promises Meet Reality

Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised last spring that "no children are dying on my watch." Elon Musk posted on X: "No one has died as result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding. No one." Yet reports of deaths clearly linked to the cuts continue to mount.

Jocelyn Wyatt, CEO of Minnesota-based nonprofit Alight, will have to close more than a dozen health facilities in Somalia next week, leaving up to 200,000 people without healthcare. In Sudan—which Trump described as "the most violent place on Earth"—Alight has been forced to exit three refugee camps where it provided the only medical care. Over the past month, the organization closed 30 health clinics, 14 nutrition centers, and laid off more than 250 medical staff.

The nearest hospital from these camps is now a three-hour drive through a war zone. "They are afraid," an Alight worker told The Atlantic, describing refugees' terror at venturing into territory controlled by the same militants they fled.

The New Aid Architecture

The administration is restructuring how remaining aid flows through the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Previously, the U.S. contributed to a global pool that OCHA allocated based on need. Now, American contributions can only be spent in an initial list of 17 countries—none of which include the seven losing all aid.

The U.S. will contribute an initial $2 billion in 2026, far less than typical contributions. New restrictions require any American money to be spent within six months, and much remains unclear about when and how funds will actually reach those in need.