Since assuming office on January 20, the Trump/Vance administration has taken actions with significant implications for U.S. citizens, U.S. allies, and marginalized communities in the United States and around the world.  

These actions have paused government grants and assistance, disrupting programs that provide life-saving support to millions of people. Of particular concern is the President’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid and the subsequent “stop work order,” which freezes all existing foreign assistance programming and pauses any new aid with very limited exceptions.   

Analysis by the Guttmacher Institute indicates that during the initial 90-day review period associated with this executive order, an estimated 11.7 million women and girls will be denied essential reproductive care, which could lead to millions of unintended pregnancies and thousands of women dying from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Further, the foreign assistance freeze also erases long-standing, high-impact programs that address historic barriers to opportunity, including programs that seek to combat child marriage, expand education for girls, and support economic opportunities for women.  

Such actions will not make the United States or the world healthier, more equitable, or sustainable. Erecting additional barriers to care, such as the global gag rule, will not make Americans safer. These actions instead jeopardize the lives of vulnerable people, further exacerbate instability, and alienate would-be allies around the world, sending a signal that the United States is no longer a reliable global partner. Additional efforts by the administration to diminish the standing and Congressionally mandated independence of the US Agency for International Development are cause for deep concern. We urge the administration to immediately restore funding flows and prevent further disruption and loss of life. 

These actions run counter to the long-held values and promise of U.S. leadership in advancing a safe, prosperous, and resilient future, with opportunity for everyone. For more than 50 years, the Population Institute has tirelessly sought to promote these values, utilizing our analytical strength to inform and advance responsible action from the U.S. government. In the face of current challenges, we will continue to direct our energies, in partnership with allies at home and abroad, to achieve a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all.