Why shutting down USAID could have major impacts on Gaza aid

(Sept 2024 USAID announced $300 million in aid to Palestinians to be delivered)

from ABC News

International aid organizations are warning that humanitarian efforts in Gaza would be severely impacted if the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is shut down by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk said he was "in the process" of "shutting down" the agency -- which oversees foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs -- and that President Donald Trump agreed with him.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that he had been appointed acting director of USAID, saying the agency is "not functioning" and that it needs to be aligned with U.S. national interests.

Alex Smith, a former contractor for USAID who advised on nutrition, child health and maternal health, told ABC News that the dismantling of the agency could have a major impact on aid in Gaza.

"It's going to be devastating," said Smith, who left the agency last year. "You know, countries are already trying to figure out how they're going to fill the gaps, but they just don't have the money, and finding new donors could take years."

Smith noted that the Trump administration said previous federal funding freezes wouldn't affect emergency food programs, but that the USAID also provides humanitarian assistance on other fronts.

"There's a lot more than food aid that USAID does. That's a kind of common misconception -- that all we do is just drop off big bucks and food," he said. "It's about fighting infectious disease, malaria, TB, HIV all over the world. You know, with the conditions in Gaza as they are, we've seen some polio. It's very likely that cholera is already there and it's going to get worse. So we used to have a lot of programs to try to combat those specific infectious diseases."...

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