Samantha Power, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said funding cuts are causing disease outbreaks to grow [1].
The warning comes as the U.S. faces a reduced capacity to deliver humanitarian aid and respond to global disasters. Power said that the loss of resources is directly impacting mortality rates in vulnerable regions [3].
Speaking during a televised interview at the PBS NewsHour studio in Washington, D.C., Power addressed the state of global health one year after the Trump administration dissolved USAID as an independent agency [1]. The decision to dismantle the agency occurred in 2022 [1].
Power said that the subsequent reduction in funding has left the world more susceptible to health crises. She said that major funding cuts could lead to more cases of diseases such as paralytic polio, and malaria [2].
"People are dying," Power said [1].
She said that the current trajectory risks a widespread return of illnesses that were previously under control. Power said that if the U.S. does not restore resources, it risks a resurgence of preventable diseases worldwide [2].
While some reports indicate that former USAID staff continue to operate and match donors to lifesaving projects, Power said that the structural change to the agency has diminished the overall efficacy of the U.S. response to international emergencies [1].
“"People are dying."”
The dissolution of USAID as an independent entity represents a shift in how the U.S. projects soft power and manages global health security. By integrating these functions or reducing their autonomy, the U.S. may lose the specialized agility required to contain outbreaks before they become pandemics, potentially increasing the long-term cost of global health interventions.
