USAID Global Health Chief Turfed Out After Documenting Consequences of Foreign Aid Cuts

USAID Acting Administrator for Global Health Nicholas “Nick” Enrich was placed on immediate administrative leave, apparently leading to termination, after issuing a memo listing consequences of Donald Trump’s decimation of foreign aid.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously promised to provide, but did not actually provide, a temporary waiver exempting from cuts and stop-work orders any USAID foreign aid programs for “lifesaving humanitarian assistance.” USAID’s Bureau for Global Health identified 72 activities under 31 funding awards involving “Lifesaving Humanitarian Assistance.” Release of payments has not been approved for any of them.

Expected consequences listed in his memo on Friday include:

• 28,000 new cases this year of highly infectious hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola
• 200,000 children paralyzed by polio
• 18 million malaria cases
• 30% global rise in multi-drug resistant TB at about $150,000 per case to treat

Enrich wrote, “This will no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale.”

The White House released plans on Wednesday to slash most USAID contracts.

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