Beyond the Cuts: What U.S. Foreign Aid Survives

On February 3, President Donald Trump signed into law the FY 2026 budget, which funds the government through September and includes $50 billion in foreign assistance spending, a 16% cut from 2025. Nevertheless, this budget represents bipartisan support for foreign assistance in Congress and is $19 billion more than the White House requested.

Congress appropriated funds for global health, food security, and democracy promotion with provisions that affect the global AIDS program PEPFAR and the flagship U.S. humanitarian program Food for Peace. While this budget shows the resilience of bipartisan commitment to foreign assistance in Congress, it remains silent on the dismantling of USAID, with legacy USAID programs being transferred to the State Department and Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In a statement, the anti-hunger Christian advocacy organization Bread for the World celebrated the budget: “This funding will fuel vital nutrition programs that provide emergency assistance to millions of children and families around the world suffering from severe acute malnutrition.”

Christy Gleason, Chief Policy Officer for Save the Children, said, “The way we invest in children reflects who we are as a nation and how we show up in the world. Strong, transparent and effective assistance helps to save lives, prevent conflict and displacement, and creates the conditions for children and families to build safer, healthier futures.

Global Health: The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) reports that $9.42 billion in funds were earmarked for global health initiatives overall, close to the $10 billion level appropriated in 2025. This includes funding for PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The $4.6 billion allocated to PEPFAR represents a 2% cut compared to FY2025; however, significant reforms are included. ThinkGlobalHealth argues that the required “comprehensive strategy to guide the structured transition of PEPFAR supported programs to country-led ownership,” marks a fundamental shift away from being an open-ended emergency program towards domestic sustainability. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria received $1.25 billion, which represents full funding of the U.S. pledge for the seventh and eighth installments. Furthermore, despite being zeroed out by the administration, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, received $300 million.

Food Assistance: According to USGLC, the major food assistance programs previously administered by USAID – Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program – were transitioned to USDA. In total, they received $1.44 billion in 2026, $420 million less than in 2025. Food for Peace appropriated $1.2 billion in funding and was renamed America First International Food Assistance. USDA announced that they intend to enter into a $452 million agreement with the World Food Program that includes provisions to purchase 100% U.S. commodities. This level of funding comes despite both programs being zeroed out in the administration’s FY2026 request.

Democracy and Human Rights: WOLA asserts that the House report accompanying the budget contains the language “defending democracy and human rights is fundamental to United States national security.” This language is matched with $2.175 billion in total funding directed towards good governance, elections, human rights, and civil society. This includes $205 million for a Human Rights and Democracy Fund administered by the Bureau of Human Rights, Democracy, and Labor at the State Department. While this is a 40% cut from the prior year, it represents a sizeable amount compared to the zeroed-out administration’s request for FY2026. The budget also included $315 million for the National Endowment for Democracy and its core institutes.

FAITH IN ACTION: Catholic Relief Service tool to tell your members of Congress to support lifesaving international assistance.

Photo: PEPFAR Sessions On Youth & HIV with Ambassador John Nkengasong, courtesy of the US Embassy South Africa, available on public domain via Wikimedia Commons.