Two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a freeze on U.S. foreign aid, posters began to blanket the bus stations of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. “China aid,” the red-and-white signs read. “For shared future.”
Photos of the signs were shared with Devex in early February — and nearly six months later, nearly everything about U.S. foreign aid has changed.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has been hollowed out. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the country’s international affairs budget by 84%. And the State Department, which has now become responsible for U.S. foreign assistance, is facing steep cuts of its own, losing 3,000 staffers last week.
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
