--- title: How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy description: The unprecedented move creates a power vacuum that autocrats and U.S. enemies will step in to fill, writes David Koranyi. canonical: https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/ author: David Koranyi article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-02-14T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-10T23:43:10.234Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy og:description: The unprecedented move creates a power vacuum that autocrats and U.S. enemies will step in to fill, writes David Koranyi. og:url: https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10bd7278272f652a/6998b7c19fbc7cbec6d986e3/GettyImages-2198425585.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: WASHINGTON, D.C. - FEBRUARY 8: A vigil has been placed at theUn og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy twitter:description: The unprecedented move creates a power vacuum that autocrats and U.S. enemies will step in to fill, writes David Koranyi. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10bd7278272f652a/6998b7c19fbc7cbec6d986e3/GettyImages-2198425585.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy by [David Koranyi](https://time.com/author/david-koranyi/) ## David Koranyi Feb 14, 2025 12:00 PM UTC  A vigil has been placed at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8, 2025. A vigil has been placed at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8, 2025.Astrid Riecken—The Washington Post/Getty Images by [David Koranyi](https://time.com/author/david-koranyi/) ## David Koranyi Feb 14, 2025 12:00 PM UTC President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/7200212/person-of-the-year-2024-donald-trump/) is a disrupter-in-chief. His political rise is inextricably linked to his willingness to break with American norms. Yet his decision to [abruptly freeze](https://time.com/7213125/usaid-foreign-aid-freeze-effects-global/) nearly [$72 billion](https://www.nytimes.com/article/us-foreign-aid-freeze-explained.html) in U.S. foreign aid has still managed to [send shockwaves](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-aid-freeze-keeps-life-saving-programs-shut-sparks-mayhem-2025-02-08/) at home and abroad—because of just how much it would undermine American interests and global stability. The decision marks a dangerous retreat from America’s defense of freedom around the world. USAID was [established](https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/02/usaid-trump-foreign-aid-policy-why?lang=en) by President John F. Kennedy and the National Endowment for Democracy was a product of Ronald Reagan’s vision to foster global democracy. Together, they have defended countless in the face of abhorrent human rights abuses, and served as a bulwark against corruption and authoritarian creep. USAID, with its partners in civil society, have been first defenders of U.S. interests for over 60 years. It provides [as much as 40%](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2q13113wwo) of global aid and the sudden funding freeze creates a power vacuum that enemies—including China, Russia, and Iran—will step in to fill. As Kennedy once [said](https://linklock.titanhq.com/analyse?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.presidency.ucsb.edu%2Fdocuments%2Fspecial-message-the-congress-foreign-aid-1&data=eJxNjL0KwzAQg58m2WySNglk8NClfYBOHZ3z1XHrP3xnQt6-HgtCCPRJoJZpHgBmsy3rNPZG5eQdO0gSax%5FUqb-v9fk45zLmnlRJm9y8hu9eC3E3DbrhPhEXzWgdQAqBZPO-qI9B5oClUf-fVe3Mmbrrrbvcm47jkLkgOYMRTlmBNommtsYkqAEjU8uUEZz2IiCRtih4RwEp2jYk8U4FnY1COyPGH1LpSvk%25): “\[U.S. aid cuts\] would be disastrous and, in the long run, more expensive. Our own security would be endangered and our prosperity imperiled.” **Read More:** [_Inside the Chaos, Confusion, and Heartbreak of Trump’s Foreign-Aid Freeze_](https://time.com/7211200/usaid-foreign-aid-freeze-trump-rubio/) In mere days, the funding freeze has achieved what the Presidents of Russia and Belarus have desired for several decades: [taking an axe](https://www.ft.com/content/10b6a51f-35d4-4f17-86ff-15bc9751f73d) to the remnants of independent media in the former Soviet countries. Meduza, which provided independent coverage on topics censored by the Putin regime, now faces an uncertain future. Tellingly, Moscow [praised](https://www.euronews.com/2025/02/07/russia-and-belarus-cheer-dismantling-of-usaid-as-rights-groups-voice-concerns) Trump’s move. In Ukraine, USAID backed the [Anti-Corruption Action Center](https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2023/6308531/daria-kaleniuk/)—which exposes oligarchic corruption. In Southeast Asia, the program supports the Freedom Collaborative, which works to rescue victims of human trafficking from [cyber scam compounds](https://time.com/6899646/scams-trafficking-drugs-southeast-asia-golden-triangle/) that defraud millions of dollars from U.S. citizens each year. China Labor Watch, supported by NED, combats the forced labor of Chinese workers by carrying out investigations, supporting victims of trafficking, and advancing the enforcement of laws. Gutting the [President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)](https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/05/pepfar-trump-lifesaving-hiv-aids-soft-power-danger/)—a George W. Bush initiative—also endangers [millions of lives](https://time.com/7221901/hiv-aids-explainer-trump-foreign-aid-usaid-pepfar/) across Africa. These initiatives and countless others are now in peril. President [Jimmy Carter](https://time.com/5579674/jimmy-carter-dies/) once declared that “every American embassy should be looked upon as a haven for those who suffer from human rights abuse.” Indeed, the U.S. Government gave [literal shelter](https://hu.usembassy.gov/cardinal-mindszenty/) to Cardinal József Mindszenty, who opposed the communist dictatorship in Hungary, between 1956 to 1971\. As a Hungarian-American, I deeply honor the legacy of the 1956 revolution, which lasted 12 days before Soviet troops crushed it. Supporting democracy is personal to me. My family and friends back home have spent over a decade living with the consequences of democratic backsliding. Me and my organization, Action for Democracy, have even [been targeted](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/world/europe/orban-hungary-trump-investor.html) by the pro-Putin premiership of Viktor Orbán. I thought I had found a safe haven in America—where the defense of democracy is a national value that binds us all. We must carry the torch forward. The U.S. is a nation of immigrants uniquely qualified to support global democracy. By activating our diaspora communities and channeling their energy, knowledge, and resources, we can persist even when the federal government wavers. Cities, states, private citizens, and civil society groups must now step up and step in. We should all choose and adopt a cause we support abroad, in addition to those who already donate at home. **Read More:** [_Foreign Aid Is Retreating. The Church Must Not_](https://time.com/7221649/foreign-aid-church-christian-medical-teams-international/) The rest of the world has a duty, too. Democracies must mobilize their own resources on a new scale. The European Endowment for Democracy should be strengthened and its mission made global. The U.K. has a unique chance to leverage its [Britain Reconnected strategy](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/06/david-lammy-britain-reconnecting-world-new-foreign-secretary). Canada should double down on its Pro-Dem Fund and its leading role in the Media Freedom Coalition. South Africa should revitalize the African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund to further its vision of a democratic, conflict-free continent. Brazil should leverage its position as the largest democracy in South America to fill in the gap left by the U.S.’s retreat. Brazil and South Africa, as democratic members of BRICS, should exploit their weight in the organization to counteract the potentially corrosive efforts of authoritarian members. We have no time to waste. The need for humanitarian aid is a moral and strategic imperative to keep America free and safe—and the hope for a more democratic world alive. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/"},"headline":"How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy","datePublished":"2025-02-14T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-10T23:43:10.234Z","description":"The unprecedented decision creates a power vacuum that autocrats and U.S. enemies will step in to fill.","url":"https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/","keywords":["world affairs","freelance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10bd7278272f652a/6998b7c19fbc7cbec6d986e3/GettyImages-2198425585.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Koranyi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/david-koranyi/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10bd7278272f652a/6998b7c19fbc7cbec6d986e3/GettyImages-2198425585.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"WASHINGTON, D.C. - FEBRUARY 8: A vigil has been placed at theUn","caption":"WASHINGTON, D.C. - FEBRUARY 8: A vigil has been placed at theUn","creditText":"Astrid Riecken—The Washington Post/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/world-affairs/","name":"world affairs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7222168/trump-usaid-freeze-threatens-global-democracy/","name":"How Trump's USAID Freeze Threatens Global Democracy"}}]}] ```