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The Catholic Church's NGO Caritas International has expressed its concern over the Trump administration's plans to cut funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Cáritas has described the decision to freeze those funds for 90 days as "reckless" and "inhumane," warning that the withdrawal of U.S. foreign aid could lead to death and extreme poverty in its wake.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Jesuit born in Czechia and a Canadian citizen, who is very close to Pope Francis and heads the Vatican office responsible for issues such as immigration, the environment, and Caritas International, has urged the Trump administration, in an interview with AP, to remember the Christian principles of solidarity and assistance to the most vulnerable as the U.S. reviews its foreign aid policy.
USAID es el principal organismo de ayuda humanitaria y desarrollo internacional de EE.UU., y en 2023 gestionó más de 40.000 millones de dólares, representando alrededor del 40% del presupuesto global de ayuda. Sin embargo, la administración Trump, con el respaldo del multimillonario Elon Musk, ha impulsado un drástico recorte de fondos, congelando la mayoría de los programas de USAID en todo el mundo.
This measure has caused a halt to many humanitarian initiatives and has put the continuity of thousands of jobs at risk. However, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's order, which could provide relief to the affected programs.
While Czerny acknowledges that each government has the right to review and reform its international aid policies, he believes that dismantling an agency with ongoing funding commitments is "irresponsible" and can have devastating consequences.
The measure by the administration Trump directly impacts independent press and Cuban NGOs associated with the democratization process in Cuba.
Although it is still early to get a sense of what aid programs will remain at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), it is clear that Trump has made it known that he is not fond of an entity he views as being undermined by "radical left lunatics." In fact, there are already projects that are certain they will not continue, particularly those related to diversity, equity, inclusion, 'woke' ideology, and the Green Pact.
"I love the concept, but they turned out to be radical left lunatics." The concept is good, but the important thing is the people," Trump stated to FOX News when asked about USAID.
It should be noted that businessman Elon Musk promised to assist President Donald Trump in reducing public spending, and as director of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he has launched his campaign with a direct attack on the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
To trim unnecessary public spending, Musk has called on users on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to collaborate in creating a "long list" of "the bad things" done by NED, a privately-owned American organization funded by the U.S. Congress, which is dedicated to providing assistance to NGOs and entities related to the defense of human rights and freedom of the press in non-democratic countries.
Currently, the NED manages 362 million dollars in government funds reported to the IRS and 1.6 billion dollars in active grants.
Elon Musk has also been direct in defining USAID, responsible for overseeing funds allocated for overseas grants and international cooperation, as a "criminal organization." He has also stated that "it's time for it to die."
On January 25th, the United States government suspended all of its foreign assistance worldwide. With this decision, the U.S. put on hold programs that represent about 1% of the federal budget, but have a crucial impact on millions of people globally.
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has taken on the role of acting administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and during his tour of Latin America, he has stated that USAID has failed to promote the national interests of the United States and accused the agency of behaving like a "global charity."
Three days after the announcement of the measure, the White House froze a decision that was affecting housing and health programs for vulnerable Americans within hours. However, it is still unclear whether everything will return to normal after reviewing the aid.
Analistas consultados por Associated Press (AP) consideran que la decisión del presidente Trump de suspender la asistencia exterior de Estados Unidos por 90 días podría tener significant consequences for the global balance of power and strengthen authoritarian regimes.
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