The U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) flag flies in front of the agency's headquarters on September 15, 2014, in Washington, D.C.
Memos From USAID Official Now on Leave Warn of Aid Cuts' Dire Humanitarian Impact
"This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," wrote Nicholas Enrich, an acting assistant administrator at USAID who was placed on leave.
An official at the U.S. Agency for International Development who authored multiple memos taking aim at the Trump administration's handling of U.S. humanitarian assistance, including alleging that it has failed to follow through on its commitment to allow "lifesaving" programs to continue, was placed on administrative leave Sunday.
On January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on most foreign aid activities in order to allow the administration to review the programs. Later, on January 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a waiver on the pause for lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, over the past few weeks, the administration has also carried out mass firings at USAID and cut thousands of the agency's contracts.
The author of the documents, Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health Nicholas Enrich, wrote in a memo dated February 28 that "USAID's failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance under the waiver is the result of political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and [the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)], who have created and continue to create intentional and/or unintentional obstacles that have wholly prevented implementation."
According to The Washington Post, Enrich's statements contradict claims from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that there is a system in place that successfully exempts lifesaving assistance from the aid freeze.
Enrich said that the actions thwarting implementation include refusing to pay for assistance activities that have been conducted, and restriction of access to USAID's payment systems, among others. "This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," he wrote.
In response to the February 28 memo, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), told The Washington Post that "these new details confirm our worst fears: the illegal and systematic dismantling of USAID will cause real suffering and deaths that are entirely preventable."
Another memo described personnel cuts among the agency's global health workforce, according to The New York Times and other outlets. Per the Times, Enrich said he released the memos on Sunday afternoon, after he received an email letting him now he would be placed on administrative leave.
And in a third memo, which is dated March 4, Enrich wrote that "the temporary pause on foreign aid and delays in approving lifesaving humanitarian assistance for global health will lead to increased death and disability, accelerate global disease spread, contribute to destabilizing fragile regions, and heightened security risks."
Enrich offered specific estimates for the impact of the U.S. retrenchment on U.S. humanitarian assistance. If global health programs are permanently halted, then the world can expect a 39.1% increase in annual malaria deaths, a 28%-32% increase in estimated global incidence of tuberculosis, and an additional 200,000 cases of paralytic polio per year, he wrote.
Additionally, the absence of life-saving health services in the future would impact tens of millions of people around the world, in particular pregnant women, newborns, and children suffering from pneumonia and diarrhea.
Failing to help stem the spread of preventable disease would have an impact on the United States, wrote Enrich, who warned of strain on U.S. healthcare infrastructure because of imported infectious disease cases and global economic repercussions impacting U.S. trade and markets citing, for example, that disease like "malaria, HIV, and TB primarily strike working-age adults or their children, impairing productivity and economic output in Africa, Asia, and beyond."
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An official at the U.S. Agency for International Development who authored multiple memos taking aim at the Trump administration's handling of U.S. humanitarian assistance, including alleging that it has failed to follow through on its commitment to allow "lifesaving" programs to continue, was placed on administrative leave Sunday.
On January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on most foreign aid activities in order to allow the administration to review the programs. Later, on January 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a waiver on the pause for lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, over the past few weeks, the administration has also carried out mass firings at USAID and cut thousands of the agency's contracts.
The author of the documents, Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health Nicholas Enrich, wrote in a memo dated February 28 that "USAID's failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance under the waiver is the result of political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and [the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)], who have created and continue to create intentional and/or unintentional obstacles that have wholly prevented implementation."
According to The Washington Post, Enrich's statements contradict claims from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that there is a system in place that successfully exempts lifesaving assistance from the aid freeze.
Enrich said that the actions thwarting implementation include refusing to pay for assistance activities that have been conducted, and restriction of access to USAID's payment systems, among others. "This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," he wrote.
In response to the February 28 memo, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), told The Washington Post that "these new details confirm our worst fears: the illegal and systematic dismantling of USAID will cause real suffering and deaths that are entirely preventable."
Another memo described personnel cuts among the agency's global health workforce, according to The New York Times and other outlets. Per the Times, Enrich said he released the memos on Sunday afternoon, after he received an email letting him now he would be placed on administrative leave.
And in a third memo, which is dated March 4, Enrich wrote that "the temporary pause on foreign aid and delays in approving lifesaving humanitarian assistance for global health will lead to increased death and disability, accelerate global disease spread, contribute to destabilizing fragile regions, and heightened security risks."
Enrich offered specific estimates for the impact of the U.S. retrenchment on U.S. humanitarian assistance. If global health programs are permanently halted, then the world can expect a 39.1% increase in annual malaria deaths, a 28%-32% increase in estimated global incidence of tuberculosis, and an additional 200,000 cases of paralytic polio per year, he wrote.
Additionally, the absence of life-saving health services in the future would impact tens of millions of people around the world, in particular pregnant women, newborns, and children suffering from pneumonia and diarrhea.
Failing to help stem the spread of preventable disease would have an impact on the United States, wrote Enrich, who warned of strain on U.S. healthcare infrastructure because of imported infectious disease cases and global economic repercussions impacting U.S. trade and markets citing, for example, that disease like "malaria, HIV, and TB primarily strike working-age adults or their children, impairing productivity and economic output in Africa, Asia, and beyond."
An official at the U.S. Agency for International Development who authored multiple memos taking aim at the Trump administration's handling of U.S. humanitarian assistance, including alleging that it has failed to follow through on its commitment to allow "lifesaving" programs to continue, was placed on administrative leave Sunday.
On January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 90-day pause on most foreign aid activities in order to allow the administration to review the programs. Later, on January 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved a waiver on the pause for lifesaving humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, over the past few weeks, the administration has also carried out mass firings at USAID and cut thousands of the agency's contracts.
The author of the documents, Acting Assistant Administrator for Global Health Nicholas Enrich, wrote in a memo dated February 28 that "USAID's failure to implement lifesaving humanitarian assistance under the waiver is the result of political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and [the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)], who have created and continue to create intentional and/or unintentional obstacles that have wholly prevented implementation."
According to The Washington Post, Enrich's statements contradict claims from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that there is a system in place that successfully exempts lifesaving assistance from the aid freeze.
Enrich said that the actions thwarting implementation include refusing to pay for assistance activities that have been conducted, and restriction of access to USAID's payment systems, among others. "This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale," he wrote.
In response to the February 28 memo, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), told The Washington Post that "these new details confirm our worst fears: the illegal and systematic dismantling of USAID will cause real suffering and deaths that are entirely preventable."
Another memo described personnel cuts among the agency's global health workforce, according to The New York Times and other outlets. Per the Times, Enrich said he released the memos on Sunday afternoon, after he received an email letting him now he would be placed on administrative leave.
And in a third memo, which is dated March 4, Enrich wrote that "the temporary pause on foreign aid and delays in approving lifesaving humanitarian assistance for global health will lead to increased death and disability, accelerate global disease spread, contribute to destabilizing fragile regions, and heightened security risks."
Enrich offered specific estimates for the impact of the U.S. retrenchment on U.S. humanitarian assistance. If global health programs are permanently halted, then the world can expect a 39.1% increase in annual malaria deaths, a 28%-32% increase in estimated global incidence of tuberculosis, and an additional 200,000 cases of paralytic polio per year, he wrote.
Additionally, the absence of life-saving health services in the future would impact tens of millions of people around the world, in particular pregnant women, newborns, and children suffering from pneumonia and diarrhea.
Failing to help stem the spread of preventable disease would have an impact on the United States, wrote Enrich, who warned of strain on U.S. healthcare infrastructure because of imported infectious disease cases and global economic repercussions impacting U.S. trade and markets citing, for example, that disease like "malaria, HIV, and TB primarily strike working-age adults or their children, impairing productivity and economic output in Africa, Asia, and beyond."