For most Americans, global development will not be the decisive factor when they cast their votes for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris next week, but their choice will be decisive for the U.S. government’s approach to foreign aid.
Last Thursday — at the Devex World summit in Washington, D.C. — Republican and Democratic development experts with ties to both candidates shared their expectations for the direction each presidential hopeful would take U.S. development efforts if they find themselves in the Oval Office next year.
If former President Donald Trump wins the election on Nov. 5, his administration would likely reduce the foreign aid budget, shift resources from United Nations agencies and NGOs to local and faith-based groups, eliminate climate change programs, and pursue better “alignment” between foreign aid agencies, according to former Trump administration officials James Richardson and Max Primorac.