Construction crews quietly enter a building and begin to strip photos from the walls: a smiling mother holding her child, farmers posing in a lush field, a group of young children laughing and playing with clay inside a classroom. The mysterious crew doesn’t tell the office workers why pictures of foreign aid recipients must come down. They escort senior officials outside and confiscate their phones without a real explanation. While this sounds like a scene straight from a dystopian movie, it was a very real experience for Deborah Cook Kaliel ’00 and her former colleagues at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) when the Trump administration dismantled the agency this past February.
In her passionate and informative talk on Friday, October 17, 2025, a crisp fall afternoon during Family Weekend, Cook Kaliel discussed the history of USAID and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), how the Trump Administration shuttered the agency, and her insight on the future of foreign assistance.
Cook Kaliel formerly served as a Public Health Advisor in USAID’s Global Health Bureau. Before that, though, she attended Amherst College and joined the Peace Corps in Paraguay. Her passion for public service translated well into public health, so she studied at the Harvard School of Public Health and joined the National Institute of Health (NIH) as a Presidential Management Fellow, ultimately transferring to USAID. USAID was founded to promote humanitarian good in foreign countries through economic development, as well as technical and food assistance, thus “advancing U.S. political goals through non-military means,” according to Cook Kaliel. Early inspiration for USAID came from the Marshall Plan. The U.S. enacted the Marshall Plan to help European countries rebuild after World War II, which Cook Kaliel explained, turned Europe into “a key trading partner and strong ally”. USAID’s scope is much broader, though.
Although USAID’s budget accounted for only 0.3% of total federal spending, Cook Kaliel emphasized that “the agency has achieved remarkable results with its limited resources.” Its programs contributed to the eradication of smallpox and polio in most parts of the world, a significant reduction in vaccine-preventable diseases, and a global increase in life expectancy. In the early 2000s, when HIV/AIDS emerged as a massive global pandemic, killing more than 20 million people and becoming the leading cause of death in Africa, the United States decided to take action. The U.S. launched PEPFAR as a foreign policy program designed specifically to combat AIDS, becoming the largest public health initiative ever created. Over 10,000 PEPFAR humanitarian workers in 130-plus countries provided millions with treatment, extensive outreach programs, health worker training, and the renovation of laboratories and healthcare facilities. Cook Kaliel noted that these efforts also contributed to “higher rates of girls attending primary school and an increase in GDP per capita growth in PEPFAR countries.”
Despite USAID’s clear accomplishments, including “preventing 91 million deaths worldwide,” USAID’s programs did not escape criticism. Many people argued that these types of humanitarian programs are not sustainable in the long run; others worried funding could be lost to corruption or used to support ineffective foreign governments. Others still expressed concern that these programs reinforced colonial structures between the Global North and South.
However, when President Trump’s administration dismantled USAID as part of “Project 2025,” their rationale did not mention any of these criticisms. Instead, it was a non-transparent and inconsiderate process that rattled not only those directly involved in USAID but also people across the globe. It began with a 90-day freeze on new funding on January 20 but quickly escalated without explanation to a stop-work order on January 24. That order led to the firing of contracted staff, the closure of clinics, and the halting of food aid. On January 27, security removed senior officials and took their phones, accusing them of ignoring the executive order. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) overseen by Elon Musk started firing employees daily and seized communication systems. By February 7, the majority of USAID staff had been placed on administrative leave.
After losing several legal battles, the agency was eventually fully terminated despite the fact that only Congress has the authority to eliminate a federal agency. The result was widespread waste: equipment was abandoned, food rotted, contraceptives were burned, and lives were lost. Cook Kaliel discussed the heartbreaking estimates that if USAID remains shuttered, up to 14 million people, including 4.5 million children under five, could die by 2030, which emphasizes the widespread impact of the agency’s programs.
The future of U.S. foreign assistance remains uncertain. Other nations view the void left by USAID as an opportunity to expand their influence, and while international aid organizations may also attempt to step in, few can match the scale of U.S. government programs. In response, a social movement has emerged to defend global humanitarian efforts. Cook Kaliel mentioned how campaigns such as Crisis in Care Fundraising, Aid on the Hill, and Friends of USAID are advocating for continued U.S. engagement in foreign aid. According to Cook Kaliel, citizens can take actions in three different ways: “tell Congress you care, amplify messages through social media, and support location organizations.” This includes sending letters to elected officials, volunteering to support humanitarian organizations, and donating to organizations like Crisis in Care.
The story of USAID’s unraveling, as recounted by Cook Kaliel, is a sobering reminder of the fragility of global health progress and the profound impacts of political decisions made behind closed doors. Ultimately, Cook Kaliel emphasizes that the great legacy of PEPFAR and USAID leaves us with hope: even in these unprecedented and unpredictable times, we have the capability to define how we move forward with foreign assistance.
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