The Impacts of USAID Cuts: Less Climate Resilience, More Forced Displacement

Jocelyn Perry, Refugees International

The Trump administration’s attacks on USAID and other humanitarian assistance have already caused significant and unnecessary human suffering and loss of lives around the world.

Amid the global climate crisis, cuts to aid programs will have a compounding effect: reducing climate resilience in frontline communities and exacerbating unsafe situations that force people to leave their homes. The impacts for displaced people will be profound.

Refugees International analyzed a list of terminated USAID awards leaked to Congress as of March 21. Of the grants that included climate elements, more than 98 percent were terminated. The cumulative impact of these cuts is that people will face worsening disasters, with fewer resources to prepare and less capacity to respond in their aftermath.

Our new brief analyzes these trends and outlines recommendations for the U.S. government—and particularly Congress—to reverse course, save lives, and allow communities to remain safely in their homes.

You can read the complete article here.