US Aid Impact & Challenges - US aid prevented 92 million deaths in 133 countries over 20 years (2001-2021), including 25 million from HIV/AIDS, 11 million from diarrheal diseases, 8 million from malaria, and 5 million from tuberculosis [2] - Gutting American aid is projected to cost millions of lives, impacting access to life-saving medicines and emergency food [3][4] - A historic drought in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia (2020-2023) put 40 million people on the path to humanitarian aid, with US taxpayers providing 70% of the necessary aid [9][10] - In 2022, US aid for the drought cost approximately $2 billion, or $6 per average American household [11] - Independent experts estimate that American aid prevented between 21% and 39% million deaths during the drought, half of whom would have been children under 5 [12] Waste & Inefficiency Concerns - Millions of vaccine doses donated to Sierra Leone were wasted due to the cancellation of a distribution program [5] - The current administration is contributing to waste despite claiming to target waste, fraud, and abuse [5] Communication & Perception - US Aid failed to effectively communicate the impact of American aid to the public, creating space for criticism and potential budget cuts [7] - The withdrawal of US aid raises concerns about who will fill the vacuum and the impact on the world's poorest populations [8][9]