Commenting on the US freeze of foreign aid, Niranjali Amerasinghe, executive director of ActionAid USA, said:
“This is a literal death sentence for people across the world who are facing humanitarian crises and conflict zones, dealing with natural disasters and diseases like HIV, malaria, and others. These actions go against congressionally appropriated funds and abdicate U.S.’s responsibility as a global player.
“We have to remember that foreign assistance is critical to global security; and a safer, more stable world is better for the United States. This is a moment when the U.S. has turned its back on other people, and it will come back to haunt us. We need to change the tide, and we need to fight back.”
Also commenting on the impact of the freeze on the global response to climate disasters, Kelly Stone, senior policy analyst, said:
“USAID is the first in line to respond to climate impacts around the world for the U.S. government. And it absolutely matters not only for those people, but for us, that we’re actually confronting the climate crisis head-on.
“These people need help right now dealing with floods, dealing with food insecurity driven by drought and flooding. They need help dealing with fires, just like we had here in LA. USAID isn’t charity, it’s development. It is an investment in a better, safer world. And that matters for us here, too.
“The reason they went after USAID is because they think that we won’t care about it, and we’ll let them do this, even though it is absolutely illegal. We have to stop them here or they’re going to keep going.”
