Since the 1970s, human rights have been a paramount focus of American foreign policy. One way the U.S. has done this is through a vigorous foreign aid program, which not only saves the lives of millions of people in underdeveloped countries but also promotes U.S. soft power. In 2015 alone, the United States provided 36% of all global assistance for health. However, since Trump’s been in office, he’s not only cut foreign aid by around eighty percent, but he’s also weaponized it to promote his agenda. Trump expanded the Mexico City Policy, also known as the global gag rule, which was established in 1984 and prohibits funding to NGOs that provide or advocate for abortion. Trump has expanded this to include a prohibition of funding for any organization that advocates for gender, racial, and LGBTQI+ rights. The Trump administration's expansion of the global gag rule will lead to a strategic and humanitarian disaster abroad.

One of the main criticisms of U.S. foreign aid is that the government is giving money to issues that don’t benefit the United States. This is inaccurate, as foreign aid has enabled the U.S. to secure favorable trade deals and gain influence in key regions. In 2016, eleven out of fifteen of the top American trading partners were once recipients of foreign aid. This is not a coincidence. For someone to import goods, they need a functioning economy. Even from a realist perspective, foreign aid is not a handout but an investment. However, beyond economic benefit, there are also public health benefits for Americans. In 2014, President Obama launched an Ebola task force to address the epidemic in West Africa. USAID was given $1.98 billion by Congress to tackle the epidemic via foreign assistance. This assistance possibly prevented a full-blown Ebola pandemic, which could’ve killed millions of Americans. U.S. foreign aid impacts every American, regardless of their walk of life.

Beyond directly impacting Americans, foreign aid cuts, specifically the expansion of the global gag rule, diminish U.S. strategy. In April of 2025, following an earthquake in Myanmar, China pledged $137 million compared to the U.S. contribution of $9 million. In May, they pledged $500 million to the World Health Organization, an organization that Trump pulled the U.S. out of. Most Democrats and Republicans can agree that China is a U.S. adversary. They are an autocratic one-party state ruled by a dictator.  They aren’t giving foreign aid out of benevolence; they’re giving it because it benefits them. The global gag rule also serves China. The United States cannot present itself as a defender of human rights on the global stage if it’s cutting foreign aid for at-risk groups while simultaneously abducting heads of state and threatening to invade U.S. allies. Trump’s cries for justice in Iran and Nigeria ring hollow in the ears of persecuted minorities abroad who have lost foreign aid funding and now look to China for protection.

The expansion of the global gag rule defies American foreign policy principles and the nation's conscience. As a result of the cuts to USAID, 14 million people could die by 2030. Since Trump reinstated the global gag rule in 2025, HIV treatment has become harder to access for many people, and preventable deaths have increased. The U.S. is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. If any country can conquer global health issues and combat famine, it should and must be the United States.

The expansion of the global gag rule is a devastating contrast to previous U.S. humanitarian support. It diminishes U.S. strategy abroad, enables China, and does all this while killing innocent people. The humanitarian crisis caused by the global gag rule and aggressive policies against foreign aid must be addressed. This policy is illogical and a moral crisis that should not be ignored.

The global gag rule must be scrapped, and foreign aid needs to be reinstated. If not, the consequences will only get more severe.