As Congress considers critical decisions on the FY 26 appropriations, join us for a timely and urgent webinar exploring the real-world consequences of foreign assistance cuts on children across the globe.
Join First Focus on Children and Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues for a webinar conversation that will feature voices from across sectors—including global health, education, humanitarian response, and child protection—who will share evidence, stories, and policy recommendations on why centering and investing in children through foreign assistance is a strategic priority for the United States.
Watch the Webinar
Resources
Issue Briefs and Reports
- Lindsay Stark, et al., “US disinvestment threatens progress on violence prevention,” The Lancet, Volume 405, Issue 10494, 2044 – 2045, June 7, 2025.
- Jennifer Kates et al., “Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions on Global Health,” KFF, June 5, 2025.
- Jennifer Kates, Anna Rouw, and Stephanie Oum, “US Foreign Aid Freeze & Dissolution of USAID: Timeline of Events,” KFF, June 5, 2025.
- Amnesty International, “Lives at risk: Chaotic and abrupt cuts to foreign aid put millions of lives at risk,” May 29, 2025.
- UNICEF USA, “Funding cuts deprive hard-to-reach children of essential health care,” May 28, 2025.
- Lucie Cluver et al., “Protecting Africa’s children from extreme risk: a runway of sustainability for PEPFAR programmes,” The Lancet, Volume 405, Issue 10490, 1700 – 1712, May 10, 2025.
- Averi Pakulis et al., “Federal Job Losses and Their Impact on Kids,” First Focus on Children, April 30, 2025.
- First Focus on Children, “An assault on children: The devastating impacts of proposed budget cuts on America’s Kids,” April 3, 2025.
- First Focus Campaign for Children, “Key Ways to Preserve USAID’s Children’s Programs,” April 21, 2025.
- Leila Nimatallah, “DOGE and the White House Have Turned Their Backs on Orphans and Vulnerable Children,” First Focus on Children, February 26, 2025.
- Kathy Sacco, “USAID Saves Children’s Lives,” First Focus on Children, February 12, 2025.
- Kathy Sacco, “’Your Education Was a Problem to Be Solved’: How Dismantling USAID Hurts Access to Education,” First Focus on Children, February 18, 2025.
- First Focus on Children, “What proposed federal budget cuts and policy changes will cost children,” February 10, 2025.
- Kathy Sacco and Leila Nimatallah, “Policy Brief: Importance of the OVC Set Aside with PEPFAR,” First Focus on Children, December 4, 2024.
- First Focus on Children, “Children’s Budget 2024,” October 31, 2024.
- World Vision, “Putting Children First for Sustainable Development: The Return on Investment from Child-Related Official Development Assistance,” April 23, 2024.
- Development Engagement Lab, “Framing aid with the U.S. public,” May 2022.
- Gillian Huebner, “On the Side of Children and Youth in U.S. Government Foreign Policy and Assistance,” Elevate Children’s Funders Group, December 2018.
Live Impact Tracker
- Impact Metrics Dashboard, Boston University School of Public Health. This dashboard visualizes the human impact of funding changes for aid and support organizations.
Press Articles
- Nicholas Kristof, “Really, Secretary Rubio? I’m Lying About the Kids Dying Under Trump?,” The New York Times, May 31, 2025.
- Taiwo Adebayo, “Children die after USAID funding cuts end lifeline for displaced communities fleeing violence,” PBS News/Associated Press, May 16, 2025.
- Apoorva Mandavilli, “All Federal Experts on HIV Prevention in Children Overseas Were Dismissed,” The New York Times, April 8, 2025.
- Hana Kiros, “‘In Three Months, Half of Them Will Be Dead,’” The Atlantic, April 16, 2025.
- Cathy Bussewitz, “Federal grants to fight child labor worldwide are axed in DOGE Cuts,” AP News, April 7, 2025.
- Nicholas Kristof, “Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True,” The New York Times, March 15, 2025.
U.S. Government
- The White House, “Proposed Rescissions of Budget Authority,” May 28, 2025.
- House Foreign Affairs Committee, “Meeks, Jacobs Request GAO Review of Impacts of Trump Administration’s Illegal Dismantling of USAID and Termination of U.S. Foreign Assistance Programs,” May 28, 2025.
- U.S. Department of State, “Secretary Rubio testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” May 21, 2025.
- C-SPAN, “Secretary Rubio Testifies on State Department 2026 Budget Request, Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” May 20, 2025.
- The White House, Office of Management and Budget, “Letter from Russell T. Vought to U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations: President Trump’s recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026,” May 2, 2025.
- U.S. Congress, “S.41 – READ Act Reauthorization Act of 2023.” Introduced 01/24/2023 and passed Senate 11/06/2023.
- U.S. Congress, “Global Child Thrive Act of 2020.” Introduced 10/28/2019 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005, Public Law 109–95—NOV. 8, 2005.
