Recent sweeping cuts to U.S. foreign aid have reportedly begun to take their deadly toll, potentially killing thousands due to starvation and disease, as Elon Musk controversially claims no one has died as a result of these funding pauses. The situation has gone dire enough for some to question the long-term effects of these funding suspensions quite literally on lives lost.
According to reports, people are already dying because of cuts from Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Health care workers across African nations, significantly reliant on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for basic services, fear what this means for their charges. A notable case involves 10-year-old Peter Donde from South Sudan, who tragically succumbed to pneumonia after losing access to life-saving HIV medication.
Earlier this month, Musk asserted, "No one has died as a result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding. No one.” But the reality is starkly different. Reports indicate the cuts could result in approximately 3 million deaths globally over the next year due to the lack of HIV and AIDS prevention, food aid, and vaccines, with estimates highlighting nearly 9,000 deaths each day directly attributable to these cuts.
Peter Donde, who had been living with HIV contracted from his mother, depended on medications provided by programs established under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to manage the virus. Tragically, without access to those needed treatments after the funding freeze commenced, he fell ill and eventually died. Moses Okeny Labani, who worked to keep Donde and nearly 150 other children alive, poignantly stated: "He would not have died if USAID was still supplying funds."
This heartbreaking incident is not singular. Reports confirm similar fates for other children in South Sudan — including 8-year-old Achol Deng and five-year-old Evan Anzoo, who died shortly thereafter, alongside Evan's mother, Jennifer Anzoo, aged just 35. Following these losses, health care worker Margret Amjuma warned, "Many more children will die in the coming weeks." Such insights carve out the raw reality behind Musk's optimistic statements.
The chilling long-term projection from the Center for Global Development suggests 1.6 million lives may be lost from inadequate HIV and AIDS treatments alone, with nearly 550,000 possibly dying from food assistance reductions, and up to 1 million from insufficient tuberculosis and malaria prevention efforts. By suspending funds, Musk and the Trump administration are not merely pausing programs—they are jeopardizing the lives of vulnerable populations who depend on this aid for survival.
Under President Trump's administration, aid was frozen for 90 days as part of what authorities claimed was an evaluation to determine aid efficacy versus its alignment with broader U.S. foreign policy. Details of this freeze are just staggering; 30 percent of U.S. foreign aid contracts have been cut, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio informing the public of 83 percent of contracts having already been terminated.
Health advocates are particularly alarmed. The World Health Organization has expressed concern, indicating potential total depletion of life-saving HIV treatment programs in countries such as Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, and more. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remarked, "The disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress" toward defeating AIDS.
Supporting evidence for this dire claim manifests through personal accounts like those of Angelina Doki, another healthcare volunteer personally affected by these cuts. With her supplies of anti-retrovirals rapidly running out, she stated: "I am going to develop the virus. My viral load will go high. I will develop tuberculosis. I will have pneumonia." Doki fears she may not have long to live if funding remains halted.
What the Trump administration has painted as simple restructuring is now becoming recognized as potentially catastrophic policy for healthcare provision worldwide. Since the cuts began, humanitarian organizations have sounded alarms about the chaos and confusion reigning within USAID as many service providers were left scrambling to cease operations overnight. The scale of disruption leaves countless at-risk individuals without the help they depend on to stay alive.
While it may seem impossible to fill the void left by U.S. aid cuts, foreign donors have been considered, though analysts assert it remains unlikely these nations can sufficiently offset the losses. Musk's disregard for the toll of these decisions is staggering. He stands accused of turning his back on humanitarian aid responsibilities at such pivotal moments of need.
Current discussions surrounding societal responsibilities toward the global community have never been more pressing. How long can nations afford to prioritize politics over humanity? With reports like those currently surfacing, it is evident—we may already be witnessing one of the most preventable humanitarian disasters this nation has ever faced. The lives of millions hang precariously as we await the potential reversal of cuts impacting so many. Only time will tell if people like Peter Donde will have been the last to fall victim to these decisions.
Now, more than ever, voices for humanitarian intervention need to resonate louder than the muted conversations surrounding financial efficacy. These lives, these futures, demand urgent attention, not indifference. It is imperative to advocate for sustained support and recognition of the immense contributions of international aid, lest we find ourselves witnessing irrevocable consequences borne out of shortsighted governance decisions.
