A group of curious kids cling to a fence as staff from the non-governmental organization Center for Victims of Torture tour their healing center in Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in the northwestern region of Kenya. Photo courtesy of: Fawn Bernhardt-Norvell

Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has taken no time at all to instate his Project 2025, which aims to “return the government to the American people” and take down the “deep state.” Demolishing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is part of the unfortunate itinerary he’s got in mind, and if achieved, will have gnarly consequences. USAID is the leading independent federal agency in the U.S. that helps support developing or struggling countries and aims to help put an end to the poverty, famine, and disaster that takes place outside the U.S. It’s like a giant helping hand, internationally extended and offered. So far, the Trump administration has cut funding to over 90% of the agency’s grants, resulting in the termination of nearly all USAID-funded and contracted programs. This means that hundreds of programs across the world have to close their doors to those in need.

In the U.S., thousands of people lost their jobs overnight, inciting chaos and panic among organizations and instilling fear and doubt within the laborers of these non-profits. But what’s worse is that without the existence of these aid programs in countries that need them, people are quite literally dropping dead due to disaster and harsh living conditions in their country. So on one hand, we have people losing their jobs and scrambling to find a viable replacement, and on the other hand, we have communities and families digging their own graves. So we ask ourselves, why the heck are we doing this? Well, the proposed reasoning reads something along the lines of, “Every dollar we spend must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” according to the State Department. Yeah, that’s convincing.

Now, if our benevolent President has it in our best interest to take away this aid, save some cash, and make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous, then let’s take a look at whether that’s actually happening. As always, safety first! By taking away foreign assistance that delivers medical supplies and vaccines to countries in need, health rates will drastically decline. Viral outbreaks will increase, which, by the way, don’t care what country you live in or what walls you hide behind. Disease will wipe out any population it pleases, regardless of race, ethnicity, or political affiliation, and could easily make its way to America. Drug-resistant infections are on the rise, and rescinding our medical aid is really just the perfect move from our dear President to keep America safe. We’ve all seen how viral outbreaks can really mess stuff up. But yeah! Let’s run it back! With the threat of disease alone, heck yeah, I’d say America’s safe!

Let’s move on to the next claim. Strength. Nothing screams “we’re strong!” like the U.S. flipping the bird to the rest of the world, indirectly (and in some cases, directly) slaughtering communities in need of our aid and assistance. I mean, hell, if I were another country, I would look at that and think, “Wow, they are so cool and powerful and strong. They don’t piss me off at all.” Fatima Jaffer, a nurse practitioner at South’s school-based clinic, comments on this supposed “strength,” our officials are trying so hard to garner. “As a world, when we connect with each other, we tend to do better in the long run.” Jaffer points out that when you take away all that a person has, they’re left with crumbs. “They’re going to lose everything, so what’s stopping them from hurting us?” So yeah, America’s chilling. If the rest of the world hates the U.S. because of its arrogance, and we find ourselves with a rising threat of animosity from the countries we once helped, the risk of a collective enemy from across the pond will only grow larger. “’Hurt people’ hurt people.” But sure, let’s call it strength!

Last but certainly not least is prosperity. A prosperous nation is able to use its international relationships to build and maintain its own infrastructure and influence, maintain an abundance of resources, and grow its economy to its peak. And how might taking away USAID support these efforts? Jaffer has some words of wisdom. “We’ve built a distrust with other countries. When we want their help or need something from them, we won’t be able to get it… Their loyalty is going to go to another country.” Maybe the American flag will be removed from the supplies given to these countries, but whose will replace that? When you’re in need, and someone helps you, you remember that. When you’re beaten down and stripped of your belongings, you won’t forget who left you in the dust. We aren’t just creating more enemies out there, we’re turning ourselves into the enemy here. But sure, let’s call it prosperity.

Now it appears we’re looking to make a quick buck off the deaths of thousands of impoverished communities, refugees, and asylum seekers, right? I mean, hey, it kinda worked; we saved like 54 billion dollars! Now all that money can be used to protect us from the onslaught we’re about to encounter! Open your eyes, people. These cuts are not about making America safer, stronger, or more prosperous; it’s about putting America on top. It’s ethnocentrism at its finest. America is running itself to the ground and destroying its unity with the rest of the world. We’re children, stealing from the other kids on the playground just because we can. We’ve closed healthcare clinics and services from Afghanistan to Burundi, hundreds of thousands of people in Burkina Faso and Mali have lost access to food and water, and 25,000 children in Nigeria will starve by April. What’s next? Other countries are already stepping in to fill the gaps we’ve left. Give these countries some time to rebuild, and then tell me we’re the strongest, most prosperous country. Tell me we’re safe and sound behind our walls. Let’s see how well America does in a 10 v. 1, because if I’m the rest of the world, I know who my enemy is.