WASHINGTON (April 27, 2026) – Last year, the Trump Administration dissolved The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), marking a significant shift in humanitarian assistance and development programs worldwide. Nearly all of the agency’s 16,000 employees were laid off, with an estimated 280,000 contractors, partners and local hires around the world lost their jobs as well.
With international health programs drastically reduced, countries that rely on U.S. assistance are suffering. In Uganda there has been a spike in disease-related deaths since the cut. Researchers note that “the toll will continue to grow and may go unseen because it can take months or years for people to die from lack of treatments or vaccine-preventable illnesses.”
For further analysis on these developments, please consider Sean Roberts, Professor in the Practice of International Affairs and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Roberts received his MA in Visual Anthropology (2001) and his PhD in Cultural Anthropology (2003) from the University of Southern California. Both during the completion of his PhD and following graduation, he worked for a total of 7 years for the United States Agency for International Development in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, managing democracy, governance, and human rights programs in the five Central Asian Republics.
To schedule an interview, please contact Nadia Payne at nadia [dot] payne
gwu [dot] edu (nadia[dot]payne[at]gwu[dot]edu) or GW media at gwmediagwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).
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