One year later: How US policies are reshaping global health and humanitarian aid

The harmful consequences of the US administration’s drive to reshape US foreign policy assistance have only just begun to unfold, one year on. While MSF does not accept US government funding, our teams are witnessing the immense toll of the US administration’s retreat from communities in crisis. New York — One year ago, the Trump administration in the United States of America (US) issued a series of executive actions that upended global health and humanitarian programmes around the world, and severely damaged global cooperation and solidarity on these issues. Clinics shut their doors. Lifesaving medicines were stranded at ports. Health workers lost their jobs. The human costs have been catastrophic. Throughout 2025, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) witnessed the immense toll of these actions. As we mark this moment and remember those who have been affected, we warn that the harmful consequences of the administration's drive to reshape US foreign assistance have only just started to unfold. “While the world is still reeling from these cuts to aid, it's already clear that they were merely the Trump administration's opening salvo in reshaping global health and humanitarian assistance,” says Mihir Mankad, global health advocacy and policy director at MSF USA. While the world is still reeling from these cuts to aid, it's already clear that they were merely the Trump administration's opening salvo in reshaping global health and humanitarian assistance. Mihir Mankad, global health advocacy and policy director at MSF USA “Different administrations have always had varying priorities and agendas when it comes to global health, but what we are seeing now is a startling turn away from the fundamental principle that providing basic humanitarian care, fighting epidemics, malnutrition, and vaccine-preventable diseases, and supporting the world’s most marginalised communities are worthy causes,” says Mankad. Though MSF does not accept US government funding, over the course of 2025 ou