International aid is an essential tool for the United States to fight and win the global hybrid war in which we are engaged.
As important as military power is, to win the global confrontations we must persuade people in conflicted nations that the U.S. is on their side.
President Donald Trump made it clear in his first 100 days: America’s international involvement must benefit our own economic growth and national security, rather than blindly follow wasteful bureaucratic agendas.
Foreign aid should not be a "slush fund" for left-wing projects, but properly used, foreign aid can help us win the world competition now underway.
Because U.S. foreign aid has not been properly applied, reforming foreign assistance is absolutely necessary. But, as President Trump himself has said, this requires a "scalpel, not a hatchet."
The choice before us is simple: step up or lose ground to our rivals.
China, Russia, and radical extremist groups are more than willing to fill the void if we abandon the "soft power" battlefield to our adversaries.
American disengagement means weaker alliances, unprotected borders, and lost economic opportunities for American workers, farmers and manufacturers.
As the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), I saw firsthand the importance of strategic foreign policy and the role of international aid in promoting U.S. interests and protecting our national security.
I learned time and again that a world order in which we are willing to live cannot exist without America’s active leadership in all aspects of the global system.
America has learned it cannot be the "policeman of the world."
U.S. aid programs also cannot become a charity, donating in the interests of other countries with no real benefit to our own country.
Our free-market system has created the most powerful economy in the world, and that wealth is an instrument of our national power.
Targeted foreign aid can stop threats to our country if it focuses on priorities like strengthening border control, building key infrastructure, and training security forces.
Essential provisions of water, food and medicine may seem like charity, but if properly attributed to the U.S taxpayer, it is appreciated by those people dying of thirst, hunger, or disease.
President Bush’s efforts to combat HIV in Africa were one of America’s most successful "soft power" initiatives.
When America pulls back from global leadership, instability blooms, and our enemies take advantage. Weak states become breeding grounds for terrorism and drug cartels, spreading dangerous ideologies and fueling the fentanyl crisis that is killing thousands of Americans each year.
We are witnessing China’s rapid expansion of its global economic investments by securing trade deals that lock out American businesses.
China certainly knows how to use its economic power to advance its interests.
If we stand aside in this global competition, we will lose key markets to Beijing, and America will become weaker.
Already, a spokesperson from the Russian Foreign Ministry celebrated the U.S. cuts. In the capital of Malawi, billboards that read "China Aid for Shared Future" have gone up for the people of that country to see.
In Kenya, a country friendly to the U.S., a top-selling daily newspaper carried a front-page interview with the new Chinese ambassador.
Our adversaries understand the influence of economic aid and the power of the message.
Last year, Russia shipped 200,000 tons of free grain to Africa. St. Petersburg University opened 11 Russian language centers across the continent.
These centers claim to, "pay special attention to the promotion of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values."
The Russians are weaponizing their aid programs and cultural messaging to draw others to their international goals.
These developments are urgent, rapidly growing threats to our international partnerships that America benefits from greatly.
Careful foreign investments can counter those initiatives of our adversaries.
Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we make must answer these questions:
- Does it make America safer?
- Does it make America stronger?
- Does it fit America’s national strategy?
When foreign assistance meets these standards, it’s not charity — it’s wise investing in America’s security and leadership.
A strong global presence isn’t about outdated programs or unchecked spending — it’s about sensible, targeted investments that further America’s interests.
Cutting these foreign assistance programs would cost the U.S. an estimated $3.34 billion in direct economic benefits.
American farmers, whose crops support food aid programs globally, would lose $2.1 billion annually if these programs disappear.
Strategic foreign aid also ensures that America sets the rules of global trade.
It gives developing nations an alternative to Beijing and Moscow’s dark influence campaigns and authoritarian agendas.
It helps our allies combat terrorism, secure their borders, and dismantle drug cartels before their reach extends to our shores.
With decisive management within an "America First" strategy, international assistance is a tool the U.S. can use to counter our adversaries, protect U.S. jobs, and secure our safety for generations to come.
Pulling back isn’t an option. When America leads, America wins.
James S. Gilmore III served as the 68th Governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. He was the U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from 2019 to 2021.
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