Trump Presidency
USAID Shutdown Leaves 27,000 Starving Kids Without Food as Emergency Rations Head for Incineration
The expired food—valued at nearly $793,000—will now be incinerated or dumped at an additional taxpayer cost of $100,000, as per a May 5 memo cited in the reports.
Nearly 500 tonnes of high-energy biscuits intended to feed tens of thousands of malnourished children in crisis zones will soon be destroyed in Dubai landfills, the latest fallout from Donald Trump’s controversial shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to internal USAID memos reviewed by Reuters and confirmed by senior U.S. officials, the food expired this month while sitting idle in a Dubai warehouse. Initially meant for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the calorie-dense biscuits could have sustained 27,000 kids in regions facing severe hunger and conflict.
Deputy Secretary of State for Management Michael Rigas confirmed the destruction, stating during congressional testimony that the loss was a “casualty of the USAID shutdown.” The agency officially closed on July 1, in line with Trump’s earlier directive to shift away from what he called a “charity-based” model of foreign aid.
The expired food—valued at nearly $793,000—will now be incinerated or dumped at an additional taxpayer cost of $100,000, as per a May 5 memo cited in the reports.
Although USAID managed to reallocate 622 tonnes of similar food supplies to Syria, Bangladesh, and Myanmar just weeks before expiry, nearly half a million kilograms went unused. The fortified wheat biscuits were designed for emergency deployment in crisis zones without kitchen access, providing immediate, life-saving nutrition in disaster and conflict-hit areas.
Trump’s USAID
Critics argue that the debacle highlights the devastating impact of political decisions on global humanitarian efforts. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) expressed outrage during a Senate hearing: “A government that is put on notice—here are resources that will save 27,000 starving kids—decides instead to lock the warehouse, let the food expire, and burn it?”
Aid experts are calling this a humanitarian failure, especially at a time when the World Food Programme warns that 319 million people globally face food insecurity, and 1.9 million are on the brink of famine, particularly in Gaza and Sudan.
Trump’s plan to shutter USAID was announced in January 2025, citing “burden sharing” and pushing countries to “grow sustainably.” However, the abrupt closure has disrupted supply chains and left more than 60,000 tonnes of food aid stuck worldwide, per earlier reports by Reuters.
The decision also triggered the layoff of nearly all USAID staff, with the agency’s operations absorbed by the U.S. State Department. While officials like Rigas insisted the U.S. remains the world’s largest aid donor—accounting for 38% of global humanitarian contributions—analysts say the dismantling of USAID marks a fundamental shift in American foreign policy priorities.
For now, the USAID biscuits meant to feed 27,000 starving children will go up in smoke, symbolising what critics say is a policy failure with tragic real-world consequences.
