The New York Times reports that the Trump administration's negotiations with Zambia have stalled after the U.S. tied a multibillion-dollar health aid package with access to the country's critical minerals. The standoff spotlights the administration's shift from development assistance to transactional agreements that condition lifesaving health funding on commercial concessions.

The Trump administration is threatening to withhold further funding from the United Nations unless it adopts sweeping reforms while promoting a new "trade over aid" strategy that aid organizations warn could severely reduce healthcare, education, and food support for millions worldwide, The Guardian reports.

Robert Rotberg argues that the Trump administration's cuts to USAID and PEPFAR have been devastating for sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of its broader dismantling of traditional U.S. foreign assistance, the Trump administration is pushing U.N. member states to endorse a "Trade Over Aid Initiative" that promotes free-market reforms over donor-funded development, the AP reports.

DW reports that the Trump administration is pressuring Zambia to sign a bilateral health deal that would tie continued HIV treatment funding — relied on by 1.3 million people — to demands for access to the country's critical mineral reserves.

Global development aid fell by a record 23% in 2025 to $174.3 billion — the largest single-year drop ever recorded — with the U.S. alone driving three-quarters of the decline following the dismantling of USAID, according to new OECD data reported by Reuters.

Despite pledging to cut out "beltway bandits" in favor of local organizations, the Trump administration's overhaul of foreign aid funneled hundreds of millions in new dollars to a handful of large U.S.-based contractors in 2025, according to the New York Times.

As the U.S. dismantles its foreign aid infrastructure, China is seizing the opportunity to expand its global influence — pivoting away from large-scale infrastructure loans toward smaller, visible health and development projects designed to win hearts and minds in the very communities that U.S. aid once served, NPR reports.

The Trump administration has been offering African countries bilateral health deals that critics say are exploitative — conditioning funding on access to sensitive health data, biological samples, and critical minerals. Al Jazeera reports that Zimbabwe walked away from negotiations and Zambia pushed back against "problematic" clauses, while countries like Kenya and Nigeria have signed undisclosed agreements.

Contrary to widespread predictions of economic catastrophe following major U.S. and Western aid cuts, many African economies have demonstrated surprising resilience, Foreign Affairs reports.

According to the Financial Times, a year after the Trump administration cancelled hundreds of millions in labor rights funding, hard-won gains are now at risk. Due to cuts to USAID, the State Department and the Labor Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, efforts to address some of the worst forms of human exploitation in places like Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan face significant setbacks.

One year after the disruptions to U.S. development aid, the dependence of Jordan’s economy and public services on U.S. support have been laid bare. The National reports on slowing progress in education, health care, infrastructure, and employment.

Cuts to food assistance and the freeze of key U.S. agricultural programs have exacerbated hunger while driving large-scale food waste, The Conversation reports. With fewer resources for distribution networks and labor shortages across the supply chain, farmers are leaving crops unharvested and food is spoiling in storage.

Expired contraceptives show how abruptly pausing U.S. funds can freeze global supply chains midstream. Beyond wasted commodities, the stall drives up procurement costs and disrupts access to family planning programs that depend on predictable U.S. financing, NPR reports.

In the U.S. heartland, The New York Times tells how Kansas farmers once supplied grain for U.S. food-aid programs abroad. After those contracts were canceled, many are struggling to sell their crops and facing mounting financial losses