By Kolawole Ojebisi
A document from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has revealed that at least a total of 5,341 awards will be cancelled by the United States government under the President Donald Trump administration.
The document, which was shared with Congress earlier this week, added that this move will amount to nearly $76bn in cuts stressing that of this sum, the U.S. government has already committed approximately $48bn.
This is as the Trump administration outlined plans to end funding for Gavi, a global vaccine alliance dedicated to expanding immunization access and improving public health worldwide.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Gavi was listed among the international aid programs set to be defunded in the said document.
The document, however, noted that the Trump administration would continue supporting grants for HIV and tuberculosis treatment, as well as food aid programs for countries affected by civil conflicts and natural disasters.
First reported by The New York Times, the document underscores a broader restructuring of U.S. foreign aid commitments.
“Each award terminated was reviewed individually for alignment with agency and administration priorities,” a State Department spokesperson said, adding that only programs deemed essential to U.S. national interests would be retained.
Gavi, which receives around $300m annually from the U.S., warned that the funding cut could have devastating consequences.
“If we don’t get U.S. support, that translates into 1.2 million deaths over the next five years,” the alliance’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sania Nishtar, told Reuters.
She warned that children would be left vulnerable to deadly diseases like measles and diphtheria without continued financial support.
Nishtar and Gavi’s board chair, José Manuel Barroso, are scheduled to visit Washington next week to lobby for the continuation of U.S. funding.
“We hope that a final decision has not been made,”* she said, describing Gavi as a “best buy” in global health, given its role in saving children’s lives and strengthening global health security.
Beyond routine immunization efforts, Gavi maintains emergency vaccine stockpiles for outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and yellow fever.
The alliance also assists countries in transitioning away from donor dependency as their economies grow.
