United States terminates thousands of aid programs

Beginning February 26, 2025, the Department of State terminated thousands of foreign aid grants and contracts, effectively crippling American foreign assistance. The International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) life-saving programming in crisis-zones around the world has been impacted.

These cuts come at a massive humanitarian cost and undermine the U.S.’s standing and influence as a credible actor in the most fragile and unstable parts of the world.

What happened?

The State Department terminated at least 10,000 grants and contracts—a decision that will significantly impact humanitarian aid clients around the world. The terminations include programs that were previously classified as “life-saving activities” and had been given a waiver from foreign aid suspension.

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How will the terminations impact fragile communities?

The termination of grants and contracts will disrupt vital services, including health care, nutrition and other emergency relief, leaving some of the world’s most vulnerable without the essential support they depend on for survival.

Children will starve, as food from hardworking American farmers sits idle in warehouses. Preventable tragedies, like deaths from treatable diseases, will occur daily. The IRC calls on the U.S. government to reconsider this decision and to prioritize the needs of those who rely on this essential aid.

Impact on our programs

At the time of publication, nearly 2 million IRC clients in crisis contexts will not have access to essential services. Our US-funded work on treating infectious diseases, a key component of global health security, has been terminated. Humanitarian services and lifesaving assistance in Sudan, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis on record, have also been shut down. The programs affected include services for children with acute malnutrition, putting them at immediate risk.

An IRC health care member screens a young girl for signs of malnutrition.

In 2023, the IRC reached 34.5 million people in countries affected by crisis.

Photo: Jacob Zocherman for the IRC

The IRC has been a longstanding partner of USAID and the State Department, working tirelessly to deliver aid in some of the world's most challenging environments.

“The IRC calls on the U.S. government to reconsider this decision and to prioritize the needs of those who rely on this essential aid,” says IRC CEO and President David Miliband. “The countries affected by these cuts—including Sudan, Yemen, Syria—are home to millions of innocent civilians who are victims of war and disaster.”

“We now face the starkest of stark choices about which services can be protected, and are calling on the American public, corporations and philanthropists to show that America’s generosity of spirit and commitment to the most vulnerable has not been lost."