Presented by Grant Assistant
Republicans want deep cuts to foreign aid, targeting USAID, the State Department, and the United Nations. While it’s unlikely to progress or be signed into law, some see it as the party’s road map to reduce international commitments and funding.
This is a preview of Newswire
Sign up to this newsletter for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development, in your inbox daily.
Also in today’s edition: How blended finance could bring funding for conservation, Martina Navratilova takes aim at the women’s debate, and how to clinch a job at UNDP.
+ Final call for the quiz: Test your knowledge of last month's top globaldev stories before the day ends!
‘Meat cleaver’ budget cuts
Marjorie Taylor Greene's fiery call to defund USAID marks perhaps an eye-rolling effort by the far-right representative from Georgia to slash foreign aid and reshape U.S. international policy. But while her table-thumping rhetoric may be seen as hot air, it’s part of a broader push by the Republican Party for deep cuts to overseas spending that targets everything from humanitarian aid to U.N. funding.
From a podium on Capitol Hill, Greene recently decried the “wasteful things” U.S. taxpayers fund, citing USAID programs that have helped tens of thousands across low-income and war-torn nations. Her anger grew as she pushed to defund USAID entirely in 2025, setting the scene for a contentious battle over the U.S. role on the global stage and the future of its international commitments.
"Imagine if this money went to Americans who, by the way, are paying for it, instead of foreign countries,” she said from the House floor. “Maybe we could solve some of the problems we have here at home.” Her amendment was rejected by 80% of the House of Representatives, yet the Republican-led chamber still passed a bill slashing billions from USAID, the State Department, the U.N., and other federal entities.
“We are cutting wasteful spending while fulfilling our national security commitments,” said Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican chairman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, in a statement released by the House’s Committee on Appropriations.
The bill is unlikely to pass the Democratic-led Senate or be signed into law by President Joe Biden, write my colleagues Elissa Miolene and Colum Lynch. However, experts note that it signals a Republican road map aiming to dismantle foreign aid funding and related institutions. Mercy Corps’ senior director, Katy Crosby, highlighted the significance of this proposal as a bargaining position.
The House's proposed budget allocates $51.7 billion for international affairs, an 11% decrease from 2024 and 20% below the Biden administration’s request. Humanitarian assistance faces a 32% reduction.
Read: Billions slashed in House's 'meat cleaver approach' to foreign affairs
+ Devex Pro members can join our exclusive conversation with Ben Rhodes, one of the U.S.’s foremost foreign policy commentators, to explore the implications of the U.S. election for global development.
This event is part of Devex Pro Week, happening July 22-26. If you’re not a Pro member yet, you’ll get $100 off an annual membership.
Blended finance to save the Galápagos
The Galápagos Islands are really something special. Giant tortoises, manta rays, and reef sharks swim in aquamarine waters, while Galápagos penguins plod along volcanic rocks with sea lions, marine iguanas, and blue-footed boobies. But their existence is in danger, and there is chronic underfunding of conservation efforts.
The islands face significant risks from invasive species, climate change, overfishing, tourism, pollution, and illegal wildlife trade, all threatening their unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
Now a partnership between the Charles Darwin Foundation and Oceans Finance Company has stepped in to help, and they aim to secure long-term financing for the archipelago. The approach moves away from short-term money and uses commercial markets to unlock larger funding pools and support enduring conservation planning.
“Most funders like to support something that has a tangible result … and then they want to move on to the next thing. But the reality in conservation issues is you often need decades to understand the dynamics,” Rakan Zahawi, executive director at CDF, tells Devex contributing reporter Katrina J. Lane.
OFC mobilizes funds through new financial mechanisms, bridging natural capital management with large-scale blended finance. By combining grants, fixed-income investments, and higher-risk capital, OFC supports debt-for-nature swaps, which forgive or refinance countries' debts in exchange for environmental commitments.
Already active, the 16-year program focuses on marine biodiversity, bird conservation, sea turtle protection, and forest restoration in the Galapagos. Despite some skepticism about relying on private-sector funds, OFC's approach aims to make conservation investments appealing to a broader pool of investors, generating $81 million over 16 years for CDF’s conservation programs.
Read more: Can this new blended finance model work for conservation goals? (Pro)
ICYMI: Watch panel discussions from our recent Climate + Finance event.
Tennis champ grand slams Dodds
Martina Navratilova is a tennis legend, currently very busy commentating at the Wimbledon Championships — yet, remarkably, she took time out to have a pop at the new U.K. international development minister.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion probably doesn’t hold strong views about reforming multilateral development banks, but she does speak her mind on women’s rights. And this is why she has Anneliese Dodds in her sights.
As we said yesterday, Dodds will juggle the job of aid minister with the women and equalities brief in the new Labour government — which has shone the spotlight on her previous comments when asked to give her “definition of a woman.”
In a BBC interview in March 2022, Dodds answered that “there are different definitions,” drawing a distinction between “the biological definition” and “the legal definition,” while arguing trans women who have legally changed their gender “understandably, because they live as a woman, they want to be defined as a woman.”
Some considered it a thoughtful answer, pointing out the legal position is different from the biological facts. Others mocked it, including the "Harry Potter" series author J.K. Rowling, who called it “nonsensical” when she reposted the exchange on Monday.
Navratilova broke off from the drama at Wimbledon to post “Dodds is just awful” on the social media platform X, vowing to keep speaking out “until women are assured of their own sex based spaces.”
It will fall to Dodds, in her equalities job, to wrestle with this continuing controversy. She may find meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund less stressful.
ICYMI: Who is Anneliese Dodds, the new UK development minister? (Pro)
Job hunting at UNDP
Wars, such as in Gaza and Sudan, and the worsening climate crisis are intensifying humanitarian crises and displacements. Amid these challenges, the U.N. Development Programme plays a crucial role in enhancing global governance, advancing human rights, and promoting sustainable development.
Operating in 170 countries and territories, UNDP focuses on eradicating poverty and reducing inequality through policy development, leadership training, partnerships, and institutional capacity building.
According to Lykke Andersen, UNDP's head of talent acquisition and people programs, the agency prioritizes candidates with expertise in areas such as systems thinking, digitalization, data analysis, and portfolio management to address increasingly complex global issues. Based on the data and analysis from Devex’s job board, last year UNDP topped the governance and human rights job sector, offering 1,258 positions primarily in Colombia, the United States, India, and Ukraine, with additional opportunities across South America, Asia, and other regions.
“As the world is becoming increasingly complex and interconnected, so are development challenges, and we are therefore looking for people who are agile and can easily adapt to changing situations and navigate complexity. We are looking for people who are digital literates, have an innovative mindset, and who can look at development challenges in a holistic and integrated manner,” Andersen tells Katrina.
Get more tips: How to land a role with UNDP (Career)
+ A Devex Career Account membership unlocks all our exclusive career resources and lets you get full access to our members-only events and the world’s largest global development job board. Start your 15-day free trial today.
In other news
Rescuers searched Ukraine's largest children's hospital for more dead and wounded after Russian missiles destroyed a hospital wing on Monday. [PBS]
U.S. investment bank Citigroup saw growth in African debt swaps, as several governments are negotiating exchanging commercial loans for cheaper ones linked to food security, nature, health, and education. [Bloomberg]
Experts warned that extreme weather events in India are forcing vulnerable communities to flee as coping capacities reach breaking point, with a study showing such events occurred for a total of 314 days last year. [DW]
Sign up to Newswire for an inside look at the biggest stories in global development.
About the author
Helen Murphy
Helen is an award-winning journalist and Senior Editor at Devex, where she edits coverage on global development in the Americas. Based in Colombia, she previously covered war, politics, financial markets, and general news for Reuters, where she headed the bureau, and for Bloomberg in Colombia and Argentina, where she witnessed the financial meltdown. She started her career in London as a reporter for Euromoney Publications before moving to Hong Kong to work for a daily newspaper.
