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USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

cidrap.umn.edu

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Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#41

Post by danielfoster »

Red_Tarsius wrote: post #27
redleader55 wrote: post #18

Why is the US contribution so critical to anything outside the US when there so many other rich countries that could pick up the slack? Does this mean that besides US no one else cares? I can't believe that's true.

Because the US is the de-facto leader of the Free World, the wealthiest country in the Western hemisphere and the winner of the Cold War. Heavy Lies the Crown. Especially when it's about fighting the deadliest infectious disease known to man.

True point, but I question how many people remember the Cold War. It’s arguably no longer relevant.

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#42

Post by sharemywin »

EA-3167 wrote: post #22
redleader55 wrote: post #18

Why is the US contribution so critical to anything outside the US when there so many other rich countries that could pick up the slack? Does this mean that besides US no one else cares? I can't believe that's true.

It's been interesting seeing Western European NGO's struggle to find funding without USAID as well. I don't like Trump, I don't like much of what he's doing, but this at least has been a bit of a wake-up call for me. While the US is rich and should provide what it can, the degree to which the rest of the world (and the rest of the West) has clearly just shrugged and let us carry them is... interesting.

while it makes perfect sense in a democracy to argue about funding levels or even if the program should exist and make your voice hear through your representatives.

Turning it off without any planning like its the back up server for a social media company is irresponsible and will cause people to die.

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#44

Post by sharemywin »

inverted_flag wrote: post #28

That USAID was Trump and Musk's first target after taking office is peculiar. They made no mention of it during the campaign and most people were unaware of it's existence until a couple weeks ago. The only group with any strong negative opinion of USAID is foreign adversaries.

I know farmers hate it with all those billions of $ in extra cash from selling food that was going to waste anyway. I'm sure the rural communities will hate it too when all that money isn't going to the love communities either.

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#45

Post by sharemywin »

bloopernova wrote: post #3
andy_ppp wrote: post #2

I don’t understand what bubble Elon Musk is living in where the ruthless slashing of USAID spending won’t have huge negative repercussions for the US. I think the rest of the world will withdraw from trusting the US after this and other actions. A lot of trust in the world leadership positions the US takes are being torched by these vandals right now and while I hope for an amazing US comeback in 4 years it looks a l…

Who benefits from the world no longer trusting the USA? putin.

crypto why do you think their doing this.

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#46

Post by perihelions »

Red_Tarsius wrote: post #19

For context: Tuberculosis treatment requires strict, months-long medication adherence. Even a brief disruption means patients may not complete their courses, allowing drug-resistant TB to emerge. These strains are far harder and more expensive to treat, spreading across borders and undoing decades of progress.

The brief (?) interruption to PEPFAR (Bush's HIV/AIDS aid program) has major impacts too. One of the plainest ones is that infants with HIV can, if anti-retrovirals are paused, die more or less right away.

- "In children who acquired H.I.V. at birth, the infection can progress very quickly to illness, with death occurring as early as eight to 12 weeks after birth — shorter than the 90-day pause on foreign aid."

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/health/trump-usaid-pepfar... ("Foreign Aid Freeze Leaves Millions Without H.I.V. Treatment")

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#47

Post by BobaFloutist »

redleader55 wrote: post #18

Why is the US contribution so critical to anything outside the US when there so many other rich countries that could pick up the slack? Does this mean that besides US no one else cares? I can't believe that's true.

Because we already volunteered to do this specific thing, so it's incredibly disruptive for us to back out at (or well after) the last minute. Other countries do other things, and it would be similarly disruptive if they pulled or froze funding and operational support with 0 notice.

It'd be like if Microsoft donated free copies of Windows to a hospital and then one day was like "Actually we've been donating too much stuff, your licenses are invalid as of today, your computers will now not work." It would be similarly strange to ask why Microsoft's contribution is so critical to anything outside their own company, when it's because they made it that way on purpose, partially for PR purposes, partially from genuine altruism, and partially to tie Microsoft's well-being to the hospital's.

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#48

Post by know-how »

andy_ppp wrote: post #2

I don’t understand what bubble Elon Musk is living in where the ruthless slashing of USAID spending won’t have huge negative repercussions for the US. I think the rest of the world will withdraw from trusting the US after this and other actions. A lot of trust in the world leadership positions the US takes are being torched by these vandals right now and while I hope for an amazing US comeback in 4 years it looks a l…

[dead]

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#49

Post by Marazan »

andy_ppp wrote: post #2

I don’t understand what bubble Elon Musk is living in where the ruthless slashing of USAID spending won’t have huge negative repercussions for the US. I think the rest of the world will withdraw from trusting the US after this and other actions. A lot of trust in the world leadership positions the US takes are being torched by these vandals right now and while I hope for an amazing US comeback in 4 years it looks a l…

Elon lives in a far-right conspiracy bubble.

USAID is a bogeyman for that "community"

Re: USAID funding freeze disrupts global tuberculosis control efforts

#50

Post by yostrovs »

malloryerik wrote: post #37
redleader55 wrote: post #18

Why is the US contribution so critical to anything outside the US when there so many other rich countries that could pick up the slack? Does this mean that besides US no one else cares? I can't believe that's true.

Many other rich countries give more on a per capita basis.[1] Indeed the U.S. has been kinda cheap, on a percent of gross national income basis.[2] It could be countered, of course, that the U.S. has paid substantially more for defense, and for the defense of many donor countries. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/foreign-aid-given-per-cap... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_development_aid_sovere...

This data only includes government spending, which leaves out private and NGO spending. Many Americans prefer that their charity funds be spent outside of the control of the government.
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