The fight against malaria has always been a battle against time — mosquitoes do not wait for bureaucracy, and disease does not pause for policy debates. Now, as a sweeping U.S. aid freeze disrupts critical funding, the clock is ticking louder than ever, and experts warn that the cost of inaction grows with every passing day.
Within hours of taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign assistance funding, which was quickly followed by a blanket stop-work order for all implementing partners. Though waivers for lifesaving humanitarian assistance were issued and a federal judge ordered the reversal of the aid freeze on existing programs, malaria advocates warn that the disruptions caused could have a critical impact on malaria programming.
USAID’s global health waiver allows a limited set of lifesaving health programs to continue amid the ongoing freeze on U.S. foreign aid. For malaria, this includes diagnosis, treatment, distribution of nets, and indoor spraying in high-risk areas. However, restrictions and operational uncertainties remain. The existence of restrictions, confusion over what is included in the waiver and the disruptions caused by the funding freeze continue to raise concerns among malaria control stakeholders.