How accurate are Donald Trump’s claims about wasteful aid?

Over the past month, the Trump administration has justified its freeze of U.S. foreign aid and the dismantling of USAID with some misleading claims about how taxpayer money is spent. Trump insists that USAID has operated with little or no oversight for decades, alleging that the agency has funneled “massive sums” into “ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats.” But the reality is quite different, and USAID, while the largest provider of foreign aid globally, accounts for less than 1% of total U.S. spending. So, what’s really going on? We’re adding nuance to some of the administration’s claims and separating fact from fiction. <iframe frameborder="0" class="juxtapose" width="100%" height="355" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=65e351fa-f411-11ef-9397-d93975fe8866"></iframe> Claim: USAID spent $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia and $32,000 for a “transgender comic book” in Peru. Reality: It’s true that funding for this project came from the U.S. government, although it came from the State Department, not USAID. An opera, “As One,” which was written in the U.S., features a transgender protagonist. The show was performed at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2022. The production was supported by the Small Grants Program of the Embassy of the United States in Colombia. It received $25,000 from the U.S. Department of State — not $47,000 from USAID. Another $22,020 of “non-federal funding” was included for the project. In 2021, the U.S. Embassy in Peru developed a comic book that promotes education and exchange programs titled “The Power of Education.” <iframe frameborder="0" class="juxtapose" width="100%" height="355" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=bf891cee-f411-11ef-9397-d93975fe8866"></iframe> Claim: Without the aid pause, U.S. taxpayers would have provided climate justice marketing services in Gabon. Reality: Foreignassistance.gov, the central site tracking all budgetary and financial data on agencies that produce foreign assistance, is maintained by the State Department and USAID. The U.S. has provided assistance on conservation projects, though it has not recorded any projects regarding “climate justice marketing,” so the validity of the claim, in part, rests on your definition of the phrase. Last June, USAID assisted on four bilingual webinars on tourism and nature in the Congo Basin. The Department of State’s U.S. Mission to Gabon also posted a $493,250 grant for a campaign to raise public awareness about the effects of illegal fishing and logging. The U.S. had also intended to use USAID funding to combat nature crimes in Gabon, specifically by helping the country increase its capacity for controlling illegal timber exports. <iframe frameborder="0" class="juxtapose" width="100%" height="355" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=23fa1d54-f412-11ef-9397-d93975fe8866"></iframe> Claim: USAID provided funding to print personalized contraceptive birth control devices in developing countries. Reality: A research team at the University of Texas used USAID funding to help develop personalized intrauterine devices. The goal, which Trump did not state, is to minimize the debilitating side effects that are often caused by insertion. The project is also still in the research stage and has not been rolled out yet. <iframe frameborder="0" class="juxtapose" width="100%" height="355" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=a339f02e-f59a-11ef-9397-d93975fe8866"></iframe> Claim: The U.S. pays the World Health Organization $500 million annually compared to China’s $39 million contribution. Reality: It’s true the U.S. pays more to WHO than China does, although the numbers are more nuanced than that. The U.S. gives to WHO in two ways. The first is through assessed contributions, which is determined by each member country’s “capacity to pay,” decided based on population and GDP. Member states vote every two years on these assessed contribution amounts. For 2024-2025, the U.S. assessed contribution is $260.6 million, while for China, it’s $175.2 million. The U.S. also makes voluntary contributions, which are a much larger portion of the total. In 2024, the U.S. provided $727.5 million in voluntary contributions, while China contributed $28.1 million. Historically, the U.S. has been one of the largest funders of WHO, but on Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order initiating the U.S. withdrawal from the organization. This is only effective after a 12-month notice period, but it has halted all financial contributions. Sources confirmed to Devex that U.S.-assessed contributions were not paid in 2024 or 2025, and there are still outlying funds due within the voluntary contributions promised — though it’s unclear exactly how much. <iframe frameborder="0" class="juxtapose" width="100%" height="355" src="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/juxtapose/latest/embed/index.html?uid=9d2ccc4e-f412-11ef-9397-d93975fe8866"></iframe> Claim: The Trump administration blocked $45 million for “diversity scholarships in Burma.” Reality: This is largely true. USAID supported a five-year scholarship program for students from Myanmar that has sent 400 marginalized individuals to universities across Asia. The goal was for it to reach 1,000 students over the five years, redressing the disadvantages to certain ethnic groups wrought by decades of ethnic conflict in the country. The program is now canceled, leaving hundreds of students stranded in their programs. The scholarship had several key aims for the U.S. One source told Radio Free Asia the scholarships were an attempt to strengthen democracy via soft power, while giving the U.S. a leg up with future leaders in the region who might otherwise sympathize with Chinese interests over American ones.