Last week, the Trump-Vance administration abruptly terminated 10,000 USAID and State Department contracts and grants, just 30 days into what was supposed to be a 90-day review process. This action jeopardizes the lives of millions of vulnerable people, further exacerbates instability, and alienates current and potential allies around the world, sending a signal that the United States is no longer a reliable global partner. 

Of particular concern to the Population Institute is the termination of funding for international family planning and reproductive healthcare—interventions that save lives today, empower families to build their futures, and create pathways to stability and sustainability for generations to come.  

The termination of 48 grants to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), for example, totaling approximately $377 million, will jeopardize critical maternal health care, protection from violence, rape treatment, and other life-saving care in more than 25 crisis-stricken countries, including Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Haiti, Mali, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. Over the last four years, U.S. investments in UNFPA to expand access to voluntary family planning prevented more than 17,000 maternal deaths, 9 million unintended pregnancies, and nearly 3 million unsafe abortions. Terminating funding for these programs recklessly endangers the health and very survival of millions. 

Terminating such grants and dramatically reducing the foreign assistance workforce will not make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous; rather, it will foster deeper instability around the globe. Investments in voluntary family planning and reproductive health facilitate massive return on investment as girls continue their education and women enter the workforce. These milestones, in turn, build stronger families, communities, and countries—the critical foundations of global peace and prosperity that people in the United States and around the world depend on.  

For more than 50 years, the Population Institute has used 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.   

The abrupt termination of grants with a proven track record of success and the dismantling of foreign assistance infrastructure runs counter to the long-held values and promise of U.S. leadership in advancing a safe, prosperous, and resilient future, with opportunity for everyone. The U.S. Congress, Administration, and courts must take action to restart these vital programs.