A new study published in the medical journal The Lancet shows that Donald Trump’s decision to drastically reduce U.S. foreign aid during his administration could result in over 14 million premature deaths by the year 2030.
The study revealed that one-third of those at risk of dying early would be children.
In March, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration had suspended more than 80% of programs run by USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Davide Rasella, the lead author of the Lancet report, said:
“For many low- and middle-income countries, this shock could be compared to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict.”
Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, added that cutting aid could have unpredictable or devastating consequences.
This report comes as global leaders gather in Seville, Spain, this week for the largest UN-led aid summit in the last decade.
Looking back at data from 133 countries, as reported by BBC, researchers estimate that USAID’s assistance prevented 91 million deaths in developing nations between 2001 and 2021.
If current aid cuts continue, more than 14 million additional deaths could occur by 2030, including over 4.5 million children under five, which averages to 700,000 child deaths per year.
