Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “No one has died because the United States has cut aid,” during a televised exchange with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
• Rubio attributed fatalities and delivery failures to gangs stealing relief, poor distributors, active wars and countries that did not contribute enough.
• He said the administration shuttered USAID under the Department of Government Efficiency and moved its functions to the State Department to deliver assistance “the right way.”
• Stephanopoulos challenged Rubio’s stance as outlets highlighted a July Lancet report projecting roughly 14 million deaths over five years if USAID-backed programs are curtailed.
• Coverage noted examples Rubio cited in Sudan and Haiti where conflict or criminal control impeded distribution, and some reports recalled USAID’s prior spending as context for the overhaul.