To the editor:
I am appalled that rather than complying with a court order to restore lifesaving developmental aid, Musk and the Trump administration have terminated more than 90% of all USAID programs, including research contracts for many of my friends. These actions fly in the face of decades of bipartisan consensus, congressional mandate and basic human decency.
Additionally, the Supreme Court and the administration are sending signals that powerful individuals can break any lawfully executed contract when they find it inconvenient. How long will the rule of law stand in the face of these blows to existing laws and contracts?
In 2023, a staggering 238,000 newborns were resuscitated at birth thanks to USAID-supported health programs. As a result of the administration’s actions, children are now at risk of never taking their first breath. Since the freeze started, people with tuberculosis have lined up at clinics to refill their medicines but were turned away and denied treatment. In Zambia, medicines to treat life-threatening diarrhea have not reached sick children because the truck drivers were paid with USAID funds. And an entire year’s worth of seasonal malaria prevention is now at risk, needlessly exposing 12 million children to malaria.
Our members of Congress must demand that the State Department reinstate terminated programs—especially critical humanitarian and development programs, including those for tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, nutrition, maternal and child survival, and education. Countless lives, our standing in the world, and the basic foundation for business are at stake.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Tschampl
Concord, MA
