The full blown assault on the U.S. government agency USAID is going to have a significant impact on the worldwide work of Irish aid agencies GOAL and Concern Worldwide.
Neither agency has issued any comment on the situation currently faced by USAID, the full name of which is the United States Agency for International Development.
Both Irish NGOs have benefited from USAID financial aid over the years as they carry out their work around the globe, most especially in Africa.
And up until the end of the Biden administration that aid was forthcoming from an agency that was headed by Irish-American Samantha Power. Power ran USAID from 2021 up until President Trump's inauguration.
The chaos and uncertainty now surrounding USAID is both domestic and worldwide in its reach. Significant aid supplies are now in a limbo at U.S. ports and many American farmers and businesses are facing big income losses as USAID has been a dependable buyer of their products.
The New York Times reported another fallout from the freeze on USAID's work.
"Leaders in Russia, Hungary and El Salvador welcomed the Trump administration’s assault on U.S.A.I.D., which many authoritarians have seen as a threat," the Times reported.
