President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. would assist with the response to the devastating earthquake that struck Southeast Asia, particularly affecting Myanmar and neighboring Thailand. The quake has resulted in at least 150 fatalities and left many trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
However, the effectiveness of the U.S. response may be hindered by significant cuts to foreign assistance made during Trump’s administration, which have affected the capabilities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department. Sarah Charles, a former senior USAID official, criticized the current state of the system, describing it as being “in shambles,” lacking both personnel and resources to efficiently rescue survivors or provide necessary aid.
When asked about the earthquake in Washington, Trump stated, “We’re going to be helping. We’ve already alerted the people. Yeah, it’s terrible what happened.” Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce indicated that the administration would base its response on assistance requests and updates from the region. “USAID has maintained a team of disaster experts ready to respond when disaster strikes,” Bruce noted, adding that these teams can provide immediate assistance like food and safe drinking water.
Despite the budget cuts, Bruce asserted that there has been no impact on their ability to deliver essential aid. However, on the same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Jeremy Lewin, a former associate of Elon Musk now in a senior position at USAID, informed staff and Congress of mass layoffs within USAID and the transfer of remaining programs under the State Department. These reductions in foreign assistance severely disrupted global aid operations, leaving U.S. partners struggling to replace the support previously provided by USAID.
Following a 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, USAID-supported teams from Los Angeles County and Fairfax County, Virginia, trained in urban search and rescue, swiftly mobilized to assist in recovery efforts. Typically, such teams can deploy within 24 hours, according to Charles.
While intervention from lawmakers has helped maintain contracts for these civilian teams, Charles expressed concerns that contracts for the specialized transport necessary to move search teams, dogs, and heavy equipment to affected areas may have been cut.
Staffing reductions at USAID have also “decimated” the teams responsible for coordinating efforts with allies in the field, further complicating the disaster response. The administration’s cuts have similarly impacted partnerships with the United Nations and other organizations engaged in emergency disaster relief.
Credit: APC News
