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A new poll shows most Americans — including a significant share of Donald Trump’s political base — continue to support foreign aid for programs such as disaster relief, disease prevention and global security, despite the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The survey, commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation and released Tuesday, found broad backing for international assistance once voters were given more information about its cost and scope.
The poll of 2,022 voters initially found that Republicans and supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement were skeptical of foreign aid, largely due to widespread overestimates of how much the U.S. spends on foreign aid. Nearly all respondents believed foreign aid accounted for far more than it does, with more than a third estimating it at 20 per cent of the US federal budget.
After being told foreign aid represented about one per cent of the budget before 2025 and shown examples of its impact, support rose from 54 per cent to 70 per cent. Republican support increased to 58 per cent, while support among MAGA-identifying voters reached 50 per cent, according to the foundation.
Trump, who made cutting foreign aid a central “America First” campaign pledge, ordered the closure of USAID after taking office. The move led to the dismissal of more than 10,000 employees and contractors and the cancellation of thousands of programs supporting humanitarian and development efforts worldwide.
U.S. foreign aid disbursements subsequently fell from $72 billion (£54bn) to $47 billion in fiscal year 2025. A study published in The Lancet last year estimated that such reductions could contribute to more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.
The poll, conducted by Echelon Insights from June 12-16, found 78 per cent of respondents favored maintaining or increasing foreign aid spending. John Gans, a former Pentagon speechwriter and project lead at the Rockefeller Foundation, said the findings “directly rebut” claims that Americans have lost support for global engagement, adding that many voters still favor funding efforts to “feed the hungry, cure the sick and respond to crisis around the world.”
The survey also found a 27-point shift among MAGA voters toward supporting aid after being provided additional context. When told that cuts in U.S. funding were linked to the spread of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republicans supported restoring aid by 62 per cent to 24 per cent, while MAGA voters backed it 52 per cent to 34 per cent. The Trump administration has since sought more than $1.4 billion in new congressional funding to address the outbreak.
Support for foreign aid rose sharply when voters were asked about specific programs such as disease prevention and peacekeeping, with 80 per cent favoring reforms and stronger safeguards rather than cuts. Only 12 per cent supported eliminating foreign aid entirely.
This article has been produced as part of The Independent’s Rethinking Global Aid project
