Why is Donald Trump cutting off foreign aid?

We have entered the most chaotic era in US politics since World War II. 

Donald Trump and his administration are attempting to dramatically reshape the US government, in a manner not seen since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) massively expanded the federal government’s role in response to the Great Depression.

The ripple effects for Christians around the world have been significant. The US Agency for International Development has been called a “criminal organization.” Humanitarian work from Costa Rica to Thailand has stopped due to the cutoff of funds. Refugee resettlement agencies in the US are laying off staff after the suspension of State Department reimbursement.

Following is my explanation of the Trump administration’s tactics. Please note, I am NOT defending these steps. I am just trying to describe what appears to be the Trump strategy, so as to inform your prayers and actions.

Many US conservatives, with some justification, view US foreign aid spending as often inefficient, supporting liberal social and political causes, and/or siphoned off by corrupt foreign leaders.

Examining each specific program individually takes a long time. Incremental change is hard to achieve. Many government civil service employees, who cannot be fired for political reasons, resist change. Trump has insufficient support in the US Congress to achieve major change through legislation.

[destacate]Project 2025 appears to have provided the blueprint for many of the Trump administration’s decisive early actions[/destacate]Therefore, the only way for Trump to achieve significant change is through executive action. And instead of investigating individual aid programs, it is easier to pause all programs and then perhaps reinstate certain ones later, based on who complains and how large the outcry is.

In politics, this tactic is often called a “trial balloon.” Usually, sending up a trial balloon refers to proposing a policy and seeing how people react. But in this case, the Trump administration has actually taken temporary actions and will presumably make longer-term decisions and adjustments based on the reactions.

It is common for a US president to try to maximize his executive power. In the US system of checks and balances, there is considerable dispute over what the president (the executive branch) can do on his own. Numerous members of Congress have declared some of Trump’s actions illegal, and various organizations have already filed lawsuits to block them.

[destacate]What practical acts and advocacy can we pursue to show Christ’s love in these abnormal times?[/destacate]One blog reader, who teaches at a seminary in Asia, told me that a student enrolled online had to drop out to care for his pregnant wife, who was living in a Thai refugee camp where the hospitals shut down due to the US aid cutoff. Similar disruptions are happening all over the world. A Trump defender might respond that in every war fought for a good cause, innocent people suffer.

Here is more on the effects of new U.S. executive orders on refugees.

I encourage all readers to consider prayerfully what practical acts and advocacy they can pursue to show Christ’s love in these abnormal times.

Bruce Barron, author or coauthor of seven books on religion and politics and a former US congressional aide, was editor of the World Evangelical Alliance’s theology journal from 2018 to 2024. Subscribe to his blog at brucebarron.substack.com.

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