Comment on “Calls to Shut Down U.S. Agency for International Development Intensify—Criticism Mounts from Musk and Trump.” [in Japanese]
On February 4, 2025, a comment by Professor Maiko Ichihara (Graduate School of Law) on Asahi Shimbun article, “Calls to Shut Down U.S. Agency for International Development Intensify—Criticism Mounts from Musk and Trump” was published. The article reports that the Trump administration has ramped up its criticism of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees a substantial portion of the country’s foreign aid. The administration has issued statements suggesting organizational restructuring, along with orders for staff to remain at home, creating considerable internal disruption. Professor Ichihara expressed concern that the proposed budget cuts to USAID are too small to meaningfully sustain ongoing tax reductions, while the repercussions of halting humanitarian assistance could be significantly detrimental to global order. Amid ongoing economic hardship, she warned that such a move may further destabilize political conditions in various countries.
