Additional Coverage:
- USAID funding cuts leave tons of food set to feed starving families in Gaza ‘molding’ in storage (irishstar.com)
Millions of food rations, enough to feed 3.5 million people for a month, are at risk of spoiling in warehouses worldwide due to U.S. aid reductions. These stockpiles, managed by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), are located in Djibouti, South Africa, Dubai, and Houston and contain over 66,000 tons of commodities like high-energy biscuits, vegetable oil, and fortified grains.
Insider sources reveal that these supplies, valued at over $98 million, are essentially stranded due to funding cuts enacted by the Trump administration. An analysis based on World Food Program data indicates this food could sustain over a million people for three months. A former official indicated some of the stockpiled food was intended for Sudan, where nearly 25 million people face acute hunger, and Gaza, where two million are at risk of famine.
While the Trump administration later allowed exceptions for humanitarian aid to regions like Gaza and Sudan, the earlier halt of contracts and freezing of funds for suppliers and shippers stalled deliveries. Consequently, the stranded supplies risk being destroyed or repurposed as animal feed. A State Department team is planned to address the delivery backlog, but it has yet to be assembled.
These aid reductions also impact American farmers and manufacturers who typically supply about 40% of global food aid. With USAID funding on hold, growers, including Kansas sorghum farmers, are concerned about future demand. USAID purchases commodities like wheat, soybeans, sorghum, and split peas from American farms, in addition to ready-to-use therapeutic foods.
The funding cuts extend beyond USAID programs. The Trump administration also terminated U.N. World Food Program funding for emergency initiatives supporting millions in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and 11 other vulnerable nations, exacerbating global hunger.
The U.S. government, a leading donor to global health initiatives, plays a significant role in international health programs, research, and technical assistance. As part of a foreign aid review, the Trump administration informed Congress of its plans to terminate over 5,300 USAID awards, representing $27.7 billion in unobligated funding. Nearly 900 awards, totaling $8.3 billion, remain active.
A government watchdog report from February highlighted the risk of spoilage for nearly $500 million worth of food aid trapped in ports and storage due to suspended USAID funding. A USAID inspector general’s report further expressed concern about the safeguarding and distribution of $8.2 billion in humanitarian assistance.