Response to Memo Proposing Drastic Reductions in Foreign Assistance Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – InterAction, the largest alliance of international NGOs and partners in the United States, is profoundly concerned regarding the recently reported April 10, 2025, memo proposing drastic reductions in foreign assistance funding.

While InterAction acknowledges the importance of reviewing and reforming U.S. foreign assistance systems, the reported proposal represents a dangerous overcorrection that will severely compromise America’s global leadership and leave millions of people living in famine, fending off illness, and watching their children die. The reported 48% reduction in foreign assistance, combined with the elimination of critical bureaus and programs, undermines rather than strengthens America’s position in the world and jeopardizes the economic and national security of the United States.

“There is a stark disconnect between the Administration’s stated intention to review foreign assistance under the lens of what makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous and the reality of these sweeping cuts,” said Tom Hart, President and CEO of InterAction. “The elimination of funding for life-saving programs—except for minimal support for HIV, TB, and malaria programs—will have devastating consequences for vulnerable women, children, and families worldwide. Without American investments in development, we will witness preventable suffering on a massive scale alongside increased conflict and instability.”

The proposed restructuring, which looks to include the consolidation of humanitarian functions while simultaneously slashing development assistance, creates an unsustainable model. Without proper development programming to build resilience and self-sufficiency, countries will remain perpetually dependent on short-term fixes and emergency humanitarian assistance—creating an endless cycle that ultimately costs American taxpayers more, not less.

InterAction calls on the Administration to reconsider this approach and engage in meaningful dialogue with humanitarian and development implementing partners before instituting changes that will have profound and far-reaching consequences for global stability, human life, and America’s standing in the world. We urgently request Congress to use its appropriations and authorizing authority to ensure the U.S. has the right tools and expertise to support effective, efficient, and life-saving foreign assistance.

For more on InterAction’s principles for foreign assistance going forward, click here.

*Correction/Clarification made on April 15, 2025 4:00 p.m.*

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InterAction unites and amplifies the voices of America’s leading humanitarian and development organizations committed to creating a safer, more prosperous world. Its members deliver lifesaving aid, protect vulnerable families, and advance human dignity around the globe.

For press inquiries, please contact Mitch McQuate at mmcquate@interaction.org or (202) 403-7253.