Newsletter

The Weekly Pulse

News From Organizations and Coalitions in Advocacy for Children and Young People Globally

Volume 223

March 24, 2025

QUICK SUMMARY

On March 19, seventeen members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio bringing his “attention to the ongoing abductions of children from Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the concerning reduction in American leadership in countering these crimes.” The lawmakers also request an update on the status of data compiled by the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab (Yale HRL), sourced from “satellite imagery and biometric data, tracking identities and locations of over 30,000 children from Ukraine at dozens of locations.” Yale HRL, in conjunction with the State Department, had been “preserving evidence of abducted children from Ukraine it had identified, to be shared with Europol and the government of Ukraine to secure their return.” Funding to Yale HRL has been terminated, and the lawmakers state that “the status of the secure evidence repository is unknown.” They have “reason to believe that the data from the repository has been permanently deleted.” NPR reports that State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce responded that “We know who is running the data and we know fully that the data exists and it’s not been deleted and it’s not missing.” Read the full letter here and more analysis here.

On March 19, Alisa Laxton, Director of Global Programmes at Martin James Foundation, posted an article titled When the Funding Stops: Prioritising Children and Families Amidst a Crisis. In the article, Laxton highlights the consequences of funding cuts on children around the world and on partner organizations delivering essential services. She notes that “among the thousands of recently terminated USAID grants were those that formed part of the Children in Adversity programme, a key objective of which was supporting children around the world who are separated or at risk of separation from family care.” Laxton calls on funders to “shift grantmaking practices, accelerate efforts to make funding more flexible and trust-based, and commit to safe, responsible transitions that give communities the time and resources they need to adapt” and notes that “the power of individual donors, foundations, and other funders to contribute in ways that move us closer to this goal has never been more important.” Read the full article: here.

On March 17, members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) entered the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) to evict Institute officials from the building. USIP is an independent agency, created by Congress in 1984, and works to prevent and end conflicts worldwide - including by “equip[ping] young peacebuilders with the knowledge and skills they need to bring divided communities together” and “help[ing] its youth partners conduct and publish research…[in order] to be active contributors to the field of peacebuilding.” On February 19, President Trump signed an Executive Order eliminating the agency “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” On March 14, the White House terminated the positions of all but three of the Institute’s board members - leaving only Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and president of the National Defense University Peter A. Garvin. These three remaining board members replaced the Institute’s acting president George Moose - who is challenging his dismissal - with Kenneth Jackson, a State Department official involved in the dismantling of USAID. Moose called the DOGE occupation of the building an “illegal takeover” and vowed to take legal action. Read more here and here.

In response to the DOGE actions, Tom Hart, the President and CEO of InterAction, posted on X on March 18 that the “DOGE attacks on independent organizations like USIP…troubling.” The same day, Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY 5th District), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a joint statement saying that DOGE “has apparently engaged in a hostile takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit corporation established in law by Congress.” They call this a “clear line that we cannot allow to be crossed.” Read the full statement here.

In an emergency ruling on March 19, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell declined to bar DOGE from USIP headquarters. Reuters reports that although Judge Howell “strongly criticized the way Musk's team had entered the building,” she said “she was not going to order a temporary halt to DOGE's actions.” Read more here.

On March 14, the Senate narrowly passed legislation - by a vote of 54 to 46 - funding the government through September and ending the threat of a partial shutdown. Three days before, the House of Representatives passed the bill - which was drafted without Democratic input - by a vote of 217 to 213. The funding measure trims non-defense spending by about $13 billion from the levels of the 2024 budget, and increases defense spending by about $6 billion. These changes are “relatively marginal…compared with an overall topline of nearly $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending.” However, as PBS reports, Democrats argue that the legislation “shortchanges health care, housing and other priorities and gives Trump wide leeway to redirect federal spending even as his administration and the Department of Government Efficiency rapidly dismantle congressionally approved agencies and programs.” Michele Kayal, Vice President of Media and Communications for First Focus on Children, released a statement warning that the “stop-gap funding measure threatens significant cuts to programs and services that support the well-being of children and their families. The year-long continuing resolution up for a vote in the House of Representatives proposes a $13 billion cut to non-defense discretionary spending, which fuels a large share of the U.S. investment in children. The highly partisan legislation also lacks traditional Congressional directives, which will allow the Trump Administration to reshape funding priorities.”

On March 14, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the United States African Development Foundation Dissolution Act, which would “reduce government bureaucracy and eliminate a primary source of waste, fraud, and abuse by abolishing the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).” Read more here.

UPCOMING

On April 8, the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues will be hosting an in-person workshop, open to students and the broader community, on ethical engagement with children and youth in field research. This workshop is designed for those with limited or no fieldwork experience who want to work with young people and children. It will provide a “critical overview of field research dynamics and effective techniques for reducing the inequalities inherent to research projects and their impact on groups in vulnerable situations.” The workshop aims to address “critical gaps” in academic training on how to engage children and youth in fieldwork. It will prepare “attendees to consider ethical and equitable research and engagement that prioritizes the well-being of young participants.” Read more and register here.

On April 8, the Center for Business Champions (CBC) at Childhood Education International will be hosting the Global Forum on Investing in Early Childhood: Business Support for a Thriving Economy & Social Wellbeing. This free, virtual event will bring together early childhood experts, practitioners, civil society leaders, business innovators, and policymakers to “explore the economic and social benefits of investing in young children—and the powerful role businesses can play in shaping a thriving future for all.” The forum will “spotlight groundbreaking research on Early Childhood Development (ECD)’s impact on workforce readiness, economic growth, and societal wellbeing, while also showcasing practical models of business-ECD collaboration that deliver tangible, lasting change.” Speakers will include business executives, development organizations, and grassroots leaders who have built successful partnerships benefiting children, families, and communities. Read more and register here.

SPOTLIGHT

The fallout continues from the freeze on U.S. foreign assistance programs and the gutting of USAID, which have been ongoing since the inauguration of Trump’s second term on January 20. (For more on developments between January 20 and March 14, please access prior Weekly Pulse bulletins here.) Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that 5,200 USAID contracts, amounting to 83% of the agency’s programming, had been officially cancelled. He said that the remaining 1,000 or so contracts would now be administered by the State Department.

According to a plan obtained by Politico, the Trump administration has crafted a plan for restructuring foreign aid. This includes changing the name of USAID to the U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance, embedding the agency in the State Department, and “severely curbing its focus to issues such as global health, food security and disaster response.” The new vision calls for a “more transactional foreign policy, one that expects other countries to offer the U.S. something in exchange for its help.”

Although the administration has presented the dismantling of USAID as a fait accompli, questions remain about the legality of their actions. On March 14, ten Democratic senators sent a letter to Rubio calling on him to “consult with Congress” about USAID, which he has so far failed to do despite the requirements of appropriations law. The letter, signed by Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), also raised questions about the “status of the Administration’s foreign assistance review.” Rubio’s March 10 announcement of the USAID cancellations following a 6-week review “stands in contrast to statements made by…Pete Marocco,” the deputy administrator of USAID, on March 6, when he “briefed senators on the Foreign Relations Committee that the President’s 90-day review of U.S. foreign assistance would conclude in mid-April, following consideration of the outcome of the Office of Management and Budget’s data call. Mr. Marocco also stated that the Administration would consult with Congress on programs during the remaining review period.” Rubio’s tweet also contradicts “a court filing on February 26th in which Pete Marocco attested that the foreign assistance ‘review’ was completed, resulting in the termination of approximately 5,800 awards for USAID—a 93% reduction in USAID programs—and 4,100 State Department awards—a roughly 60% reduction.” Per the letter, the Senators are “aware of awards, including for humanitarian U.S. commodity programs, that were terminated, then un-terminated and again re-terminated within a matter of days.”

The same day, March 14, the Senate rejected Amendment No. 1266 - an attempt to legalize DOGE’s foreign aid cuts. The amendment which would have reduced the amount appropriated for the United States Agency for International Development. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the amendment, which would have reduced the amount appropriated for USAID. Presenting the amendment to the Senate, Paul “compliment[ed] President Trump and DOGE for exposing waste and abuse in foreign aid spending,” which he labeled “egregious, crazy, leftwing lunacy.” However, Paul noted that “there does remain a significant constitutional question as to whether these cuts need a congressional vote to give them permanence.” By passing his amendment, Congress could “make these foreign aid cuts the law.”

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), urged a “no” vote,” stating that “the Senator’s amendment would indiscriminately cut $16 billion from State and USAID, including lifesaving assistance Secretary Rubio said he wants to maintain for the purchase of food from American farmers, programs to counter [Chinese] influence, and efforts to ensure American businesses are more competitive overseas. This amendment would cut funding for the USAID inspector general by 83 percent, making any waste, fraud, or abuse hard to uncover. And it would gut global health programs that Trump, Rubio, and Musk say they allegedly want to conserve. Not even House Republicans went this far. This amendment would undermine American workers, American businesses, and our national security.” The final vote was 27 ‘yeas’ to 73 ‘nays’.

On March 18, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang found that the “unilateral actions” of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to “shut down USAID likely violated the United States Constitution,” since Congress “alone” has the authority to eliminate the agencies it creates. Judge Chuang ruled that DOGE cannot terminate any more USAID contracts or grants, or fire or furlough any more USAID employees. CNN reports that this injunction is “one of the first major rulings to limit Musk’s work in the federal government because of the US Constitution.” However, Helen Murphy, writing for Devex Newswire, says the ruling is “more like a partial reprieve” than an “outright victory” for USAID contractors and employees, since it “doesn’t reinstate any programs or laid-off employees.” Murphy notes that the judge said “the terminations would have been allowed if they had been done under the proper authorities, meaning that other Trump officials will likely be able to just reinstate DOGE’s policies.” In response to the ruling, Trump told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham that “rogue judges…are destroying our country” and “we will be appealing it.”

As Congress, the courts, and the administration debate the constitutionality of DOGE’s dismantling of USAID, the global impact of the foreign aid cuts is already being felt. On March 3, Elon Musk claimed on X that “No one has died as result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding. No one.” In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof shows “that is not true.” He documents how “in South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, the efforts by Musk and President Trump are already leading children to die.” One of these children was 10-year-old Peter Donde, an AIDS orphan who had received medicine with the help of a community health worker funded by PEPFAR. This outreach program ended with the shuttering of USAID, and Peter was no longer able to receive his medicine. He died in late February of an “opportunistic pneumonia infection as [his] viral load increased and his immunity diminished.” Many children are also starving as a result of funding cuts to food aid programs. The death toll “is likely to soar in the coming months as stockpiles of medicines and food are drawn down and people become weaker and sicker.”

On March 17, ProPublica published an article detailing how the halt to USAID’s Agent Orange cleanup efforts in Vietnam is putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of poisoning and jeopardizing American relations with a key ally in Asia. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed more than 10 million gallons of the herbicidal Agent Orange across vast tracts of the country in order to destroy the jungles and mangroves where opposition forces hid. Dioxin, the highly toxic byproduct of Agent Orange, causes cancer, other severe illnesses, and birth defects. After denying the vast toll Agent Orange had taken on the Vietnamese people for decades, in the mid-2000s, under President George W. Bush, the U.S. began funding “dioxin remediation in Vietnam to clean up the contamination sites and the two nations’ troubled relationship.” As ProPublica notes, “human rights groups, environmentalists and diplomats consider the cleanup work — along with disability assistance that the U.S. has provided to Agent Orange victims across the country — to be one of the most successful foreign aid initiatives of all time.” This success is “now in peril.” Rubio’s immediate stop work of January 24, freezing all foreign aid, shut down efforts to clean up an enormous chemical spill at Bien Hoa air base. On February 14, officials warned the Trump administration that the rainy season in Vietnam is approaching, when torrential downpours could wash the contaminated soil into nearby communities - home to hundreds of thousands of people - and even into a major river that flows to Ho Chi Minh City (population 9 million). The companies undertaking the clean-up effort have still not been paid by the Trump administration and are now “scrambling — at their own expense — to secure the Bien Hoa site before it starts raining.” However, they are two months behind schedule. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told ProPublica that abandoning the Bien Hoa cleanup is “a betrayal of the goodwill our two nations built over 30 years” and a “gift to our adversaries.”

The same day, the World Health Organization warned that 8 countries could soon run out of HIV treatments because of the disruption to U.S. foreign aid. The global health agency stated that Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine could exhaust their supplies of these lifesaving medicines in the coming months. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, said at a press conference that the funding freeze “could undo 20 years of progress” and lead to “over 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths.”

On March 19, Ailsa Laxton, Director of Global Programmes at the Martin James Foundation, posted on LinkedIn that USAID grants forming part of the Children in Adversity program were among the thousands recently terminated. A key objective of this program was “supporting children around the world who are separated or at risk of separation from family care.” Laxton warns that in the wake of funding being scaled back, “years of evidence of what works is being lost.” She notes that “thousands of highly trained, committed, experienced child protection professionals across the world are losing their jobs and potentially leaving the sector.” Moreover, funding cuts in related sectors including “school feeding programmes, health care, education, income generation, and many more will also exacerbate existing vulnerabilities for families and increase the risk of children entering orphanages.”

In his New York Times article, Kristof worked with experts at the Center for Global Development “to calculate how many lives are at risk if American humanitarian assistance is frozen or slashed.” The numbers “suggest that a cataclysm may be beginning around the developing world”: “an estimated 1,650,000 people could die without American foreign aid for H.I.V. prevention and treatment,” although the “cost of first-line H.I.V. medications to keep a person alive is less than 12 cents a day;” an “estimated 500,000 people could die within a year without American funding for food aid;” an “estimated 290,000 people could die within a year without American funding for malaria prevention;” an “estimated 310,000 people could die within a year without U.S. funding for tuberculosis prevention;” and an “estimated 500,000 people could die within a year without American funding for vaccines.” Kristof concludes by saying: “I recognize we cannot save every hungry child around the world. I agree that U.S.A.I.D. is imperfect and should be reformed. I appreciate that helping people is harder than it looks. I understand that there are difficult trade-offs in allocating tax dollars. Yet I think most Americans would both welcome some reforms and also be proud to see how we save the lives of hungry children and sick orphans around the world by allocating just 24 cents of every $100 of national income to aid.”

Read the full New York Times piece here.

EVENTS

The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action webinar, “Healing Futures: Case Management for Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups.” March 25, 2025.
Search for Common Ground emergency town hall, “Emergency Town Hall (Part 2): Impact of the U.S. Foreign Aid Freeze & Implications for Global Peace and Security.” March 25, 2025.
University of Florida Health webinar, “Addressing Child Health Challenges in Africa: The Critical Role of Pediatricians and Child Health Experts.” March 26, 2025.
International Workshop on Women & HIV 2025 hybrid workshop, “International Workshop on Women & HIV 2025: From Adolescence to Menopause and Beyond.” April 4-5, 2025.
Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues workshop, “Ethical Engagement with Children and Youth in Field Research.” April 8, 2025.
Childhood Education International forum, “Global Forum on Investing in Early Childhood: Business Support for a Thriving Economy & Social Wellbeing.” April 8, 2025.

REPORTS, ARTICLES, & RESOURCES

First Focus on Children fact sheet, “Prescription for Disaster: The Impact of Proposed Medicaid and CHIP Cuts on Children’s Health.”
PATH statement, “PATH welcomes maternal RSV vaccine WHO prequalification.”
Gavi article, “A school principal’s fight against cervical cancer in Nigeria.”
First Focus on Children statement, “Statement: Closing education department is “direct attack” on children.”
Global Campaign for Education - U.S. statement, “GCE-US Celebrates the Life of Former Chairwoman Nita Lowey, Global Education Champion.”
Amanpour and Company YouTube video, “‘A Tide of Suffering and Death:’ NYT’s Nicholas Kristof on Musk’s USAID Cuts | Amanpour and Company.”

ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER

The Initiative's weekly newsletter is a collection of updates on coalitions, networks, and organizations that advocate for the U.S. government to support children and young people globally.

Subscribe to the Newsletter

ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS

ARCHIVED NEWSLETTERS