Overview

• During a Sept. 23 Good Morning America interview, Marco Rubio reiterated that “no one has died because the United States has cut aid.”
• Rubio said USAID was shut down and its functions moved under the State Department, describing a shift to embassy-directed, performance-based assistance.
• Pressed by George Stephanopoulos, Rubio rejected claims from aid organizations and referenced factors such as conflicts, corrupt distributors, and gangs stealing supplies.
• He cited Sudan and Haiti as places where violence and theft prevented aid from reaching people, arguing those conditions, not U.S. cuts, explain fatalities.
• A July Lancet report warned that projected aid reductions could contribute to about 14 million deaths over five years, a claim Rubio disputes while pledging the U.S. will still provide major assistance.