Columns 
Originally published on the Ukrainian Weekly
Among the egregious, cruel, legally dubious, stupid and counterproductive actions being undertaken by the Trump administration is the unprecedented assault on foreign assistance and the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The aid freeze has included assistance going to Ukraine, which, since Russia’s full-fledged invasion, has received more U.S. foreign aid than any other country, totaling nearly $40 billion.
There is no doubt that there are inefficiencies and shortcomings in U.S. foreign assistance programs. A systematic, deliberate, strategic reevaluation and reforms are both necessary and welcome. But the disembowelment of USAID is not the answer. You don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
America’s foreign aid around the globe has been a win-win. It has made the world a healthier, better, more prosperous place. It has also made the United States safer. Foreign aid enhances our own security, and it advances our own values.
Foreign aid constitutes around 1 percent of the federal budget (According to polls, most Americans think it’s between 15 and 25 percent of the federal budget). It is less than .25 percent – that’s a mere 1/4 of one percent – of our GDP. Think about that for a minute – that’s one penny out of every $4 dollars. Yet this incredible use of “soft power” has served our strategic interests and benefited us by generating considerable global goodwill.
Given American foreign aid’s literally lifesaving work – and we are talking about hundreds of millions of lives saved and even more lives improved upon – around the globe for more than six decades, the gutting of USAID and its programs is utterly myopic. It will only serve the interests of our enemies. It’s no accident that the Kremlin and other autocrats are gleeful about the assault by Mr. Trump and Elon Musk. It’s also not surprising that China is moving to fill in the gaps left by the departure of USAID.
Oh, and dismantling, or even freezing, U.S. aid programs also hurts American farmers, businesses and non-profits. Among the non-profits affected are many faith-based organizations. Indeed, USAID’s largest single recipient is Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Mr. Musk flagrantly lies in calling this heavily audited government agency a “criminal organization.” Mr. Trump spreads absurd falsehoods by claiming that $50 million, or $100 million (he can’t make up his mind), a year is spent on prophylactics sent to Hamas. By the calculation of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff, for Hamas to use that many in a year, each Hamas fighter would have to have sex 325 times a day, for every day of the year. The actual number spent is zero. Many other false or misleading claims, such as that USAID paid Hollywood stars to go to Ukraine, have been debunked.
So, let’s talk about Ukraine, which for good reason sits as America’s top near-term foreign policy priority (or should, for anyone with even a remote understanding of geopolitical realities). Since February 24, 2022, Ukraine has been by far America’s largest aid recipient – and not only of military, but non-military assistance. USAID, which along with the State Department administer the bulk of this non-military assistance, has allocated $38 billion for Ukraine – $2.6 billion in humanitarian aid, $5 billion for economic development, including critical infrastructure, and $30 billion in direct budget support.
So, what has this and other U.S. government funding gone for? What follows is just a partial list, but it gives a flavor of where U.S. assistance has gone in Ukraine.
Budget support during the war from USAID and the Treasury Department has been key to Ukraine’s maintaining financial stability and making sure the government can continue to operate. This includes salaries for public employees such as first-responders, healthcare workers, teachers and soldiers. Common sense dictates that this support has proved essential in covering costs related to the war effort. American economic assistance has also gone to help Ukrainian businesses, providing support, for instance, to small and medium-size enterprises.
American aid has gone into rebuilding Ukraine’s energy and transportation infrastructure, including power grids and heating systems that have been destroyed by Russian attacks, as well as roads and bridges that allow goods and people to move within Ukraine and across its borders.
The United States has been instrumental in helping the critically important agricultural sector with financial aid, grain storage support, export and trade assistance, as well as seeds, fertilizers and agricultural machinery.
Our health assistance has also been vital in providing emergency medical supplies, rebuilding clinics and hospitals and promoting public health. This includes vaccines and other medical countermeasures to prevent the outbreak of diseases in conflict zones, humanitarian assistance, such as maternal and child health programs, and mental health programs to address war-related trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder among both soldiers and civilians.
U.S. assistance also includes supporting the evacuation of citizens from the front lines as well as aid to internally displaced persons – providing goods and services to the displaced, wounded and war victims. The freeze on assistance has hampered these efforts as well.
America has been assisting Ukraine since well before the full-scale invasion. For more than three decades, our government has provided support for healthcare, energy, agriculture, business and, not to be forgotten, democracy development – including civil society, free media and anti-corruption efforts. During my time at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission), I saw firsthand the crucial role of U.S. assistance in helping to build and strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Organizations such as the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and others have done phenomenal work in this sphere in Ukraine and around the world.
The long-time presence and efforts of pro-democracy groups in Ukraine have benefitted the country in numerous ways. They have bolstered Ukrainian society’s resilience in its existential fight for freedom and independence. More broadly, Ukraine would not have been nearly as successful in implementing the array of vital reforms that it has undertaken across many sectors without US assistance.
The 90-day aid freeze has already had serious consequences for Ukraine. Many Ukrainian organizations have been forced to suspend operations. Ukrainian contractors have lost income. The work of organizations throughout the country has been impacted. Medicines aren’t getting to children in hospitals. Mental health services and other veterans’ rehabilitation initiatives have been halted. Independent local media organizations funded by USAID are getting hit.
In the northern city of Sumy, which sits 20 miles from the Russian border and is frequently attacked, the nongovernmental organization and media outlet Cukr (or sugar in Ukrainian), has had to curtail much of its activity. In the south, in Kherson Oblast, the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities is urgently looking for replacement funding to support its vegetable seed program. U.S. funding for an irrigation system in Odesa Oblast has dried up. The Trump administration’s assault has also frozen USAID and State Department projects to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes in Ukraine. These are just a few examples.
Numerous long-term programs and projects supporting schools, hospitals and energy infrastructure are threatened, and many could cease to exist altogether. Clearly, a pause in aid is tough enough, but a complete cutoff of U.S aid will have a devastating impact on Ukraine and its fight for survival.
Of course, the priority for U.S. assistance for Ukraine is military security. But what should be obvious is that the non-military aid provided by USAID and other government agencies also is instrumental in supporting and enhancing Ukraine’s security. The withholding of this aid makes it harder for Ukraine to prevail. It does not bring us closer to a just and lasting peace. I hope that Ukraine’s advocates in the United States, including members of the Ukrainian American community, understand and appreciate the invaluable role of economic, development and humanitarian aid in securing Ukraine’s future and will let their voices be heard.