A CGD blog. There remains a lot of uncertainty regarding the status (and legality) of USAID award and staff terminations to date, and even more around the administration’s reorganization plans. But assume things work out as the administration hopes: USAID staff are all fired and the agency is shut down by the e…

A CGD blog. It would be better for the US and global economy if the new tariffs were rolled back everywhere. But it would at least help continue the journey to self-reliance through greater potential for export-led growth if the poorest countries, economies that are utterly marginal to the US trade deficit and …

A CGD blog with Brian Webster. Yesterday, President Trump announced a sweeping change to US trade policy, imposing tariffs larger than those enacted under the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act that helped deepen the Great Depression. US markets are responding based on the implications for US business and consumers. But the consequences for…

A CGD blog with Erin Collinson. On Friday, the administration sent a memo on the future of USAID to the agency’s staff. It makes clear that the strategy continues to be “cut and reorganize first, ask permission later”-putting forward a vision for the full abolition of USAID. Regarding reorganization, remaining USAID staff have re….

A CGD blog. As the USAID cuts shutter projects worldwide, Chinese officials are certainly making the most of the opportunity. The country has stepped in to fund child literacy, nutrition, and landmine clearance programs in Cambodia previously backed by the US and has made overtures to Nepal and Colombia about f…

A CGD blog with Janeen Madan Keller. In a list of thousands of terminated USAID awards that was sent to Congress this week is a devastating cut suggesting the Trump administration might be planning to end funding to Gavi, the global initiative that helps provide life-saving vaccines for children in the poorest countries in the…

A CGD blog with Justin Sandefur. Last week, we published an estimate of cuts to USAID programs at the sectoral level based on two leaked documents covering cancelled and retained awards. Since then, a new version of the terminated and retained awards list was shared with Congress. Using that updated list, we revise our earlier…

A CGD blog. Aid agencies across Europe and North America are seeing their budgets slashed. Replenishments to multilateral agencies from the International Development Association (IDA) through Gavi to the Global Fund are under threat. The countries most at risk are those most reliant on foreign assistance to fun…

A CGD blog. The State Department is floating foreign assistance reorganization proposals. While there is surely a lot that could be done to make US foreign assistance more effective, I hope Congress focuses on the far more urgent task of ensuring the foreign assistance funding it has already appropriated can be…

A CGD blog. The US Administration has presented a weak case for its argument that US foreign assistance was so riddled with abuse and fraud that the only answer was to shut down USAID and reboot. The lists of terrible projects and “appalling waste” don’t show any evidence of fraud or abuse, and I’d argue…