Global Health Action and Evidence

Data for Accountability: Tracing Health Impacts of U.S. Foreign Aid Cuts

Person packing boxes

With recent shifts in U.S. foreign aid policy and the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), there is growing concern about the continuity of global health programs, many of which provide critical vaccines, maternal and child health services, and infectious disease treatments – including HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Beyond livelihoods being lost, these cuts may result in disruptions to life-saving treatments, weakened healthcare systems, and setbacks in disease prevention and eradication efforts, ultimately affecting millions of vulnerable populations worldwide. 

The Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health (PopFam) believes that tracking the impact of cuts in U.S. aid is essential to inform the architecture of global health moving forward. Understanding how foreign aid cuts influence health outcomes, service delivery, disease containment, localization efforts, and co-funding mechanisms will provide the data-driven evidence needed to inform future policy and investment decisions. Tracking the impact of global health policy and operating in an environment of uncertainty are core strengths of PopFam, which co-led the Global Gag Rule Research Working Group under the previous Trump administration and has decades of experience working in complex, humanitarian settings. 

Using the reach of GHAE, PopFam, alongside frontline partners, conducted a mixed methods rapid assessment of the impact of cuts to foreign aid in early 2025, which has included the following initiatives:

  • An online survey conducted in February-May 2025 to understand the direct and indirect effects of U.S. government policy shifts on global health practitioners.
  • Key informant interviews with health providers, community health workers, NGO staff, and government stakeholders in Colombia, Kenya, and Nepal to document country-level impacts of policy shifts.
  • Continuous tracking of the efforts of other partner organizations who are documenting impacts of shifting policy on civil society, the global health workforce, and specific health sectors.
  • Dissemination of findings at global convening and webinars as well as regional and national forums to drive data-informed investments.

Findings from this research have the potential to empower donors, governments, nonprofits, and advocates to strengthen national policies, advocacy efforts, investments, and movement-building initiatives amidst the shifting global aid landscape.

If you’re interested in partnering with GHAE to continue to document how the dynamic changes to U.S. aid have affected global health efforts, please email us at GHAE@cumc.columbia.edu.