Majority Support Remains Despite USAID Closure
A year after the Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), most Americans continue to support foreign aid for disaster relief, disease prevention, and security improvements, according to a new poll commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation and released Tuesday. The survey of 2,022 voters found that nearly all Americans vastly overestimated how much Washington spends on such programs, with over a third believing foreign aid accounted for 20 percent of the annual US budget.
Support Jumps When Costs Are Explained
When poll respondents were told that foreign aid made up just 1 percent of the US budget before 2025 and were briefed on its accomplishments, support for aid rose to 70 percent from 54 percent. Republican support reached 58 percent, and even MAGA Republicans—those who primarily support President Donald Trump over the party—backed aid by 50 percent, the foundation said.
Context of USAID Shutdown
Trump, who made cutting foreign aid a cornerstone of his “America First” campaign promises, ordered USAID’s closure when he took office in January 2025. Over 10,000 USAID personnel and contractors were fired, and thousands of programs were canceled, disrupting US-funded aid operations that millions of the world’s poorest people depended on. US foreign aid disbursements dropped to $47 billion in fiscal year 2025 from $72 billion a year earlier, according to US data. Those cuts could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, a study published in The Lancet medical journal last year found.
Poll Details and Shifts in Opinion
The poll, conducted June 12-16 by Echelon Insights, showed that 78 percent of respondents favored maintaining or expanding foreign aid outlays. “This data is a direct rebuttal to anyone who claims Americans have lost their appetite for the world,” said John Gans, a former Pentagon speechwriter and project lead at The Rockefeller Foundation. “One year after USAID’s razing, a majority of Americans don’t just want to ensure federal funding to feed the hungry, cure the sick, and respond to crisis around the world — they see good reason to increase it.”
MAGA voters, initially the most skeptical group, showed a 27-point swing toward supporting foreign aid after receiving more information. Republicans supported restoring aid to fight the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo by 62 percent to 24 percent after learning that US funding cuts were a significant factor in the rapid spread of the disease. MAGA voters supported that view by 52 percent to 34 percent.
Specific Programs Garner Strong Backing
Support for foreign aid increased sharply when voters were asked about specific programs, such as disease prevention and peacekeeping. Eighty percent said they favored reforms and better safeguards rather than cancellation. Only 12 percent said foreign aid should be cut across the board regardless of impact. The Trump administration has responded to the widening Ebola outbreak and is seeking more than $1.4 billion in new funds from Congress, Reuters reported last week.
