American Public Opinion on Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts

JULY 2025

A majority of U.S. voters (59%), including 62% of Independents, disapprove of Trump’s cuts to food aid and other assistance to poor and developing countries.

Key Findings

A clear majority of voters (81%) are concerned that Trump’s deep foreign aid cuts will lead to more starvation and malnutrition, especially among children.

  • Across party affiliation, large majorities of voters are also concerned that these cuts:

    • could lead to more pandemics (77%)

    • will allow China to fill the vacuum, increasing its influence at America’s expense (73%)

    • could do a lot of harm and not save much, since these investments do a lot of good for less than 1% of the federal budget (71%)

At the same time, when considering foreign aid among a range of foreign policy goals, voters respond differently across party lines.

  • When ranking the five most important foreign policy goals, half of Independents chose reducing taxpayer dollars the U.S. spends overseas. In comparison, about a third (37%) of Republicans did so.

  • Meanwhile, majorities of Democratic voters ranked the following among their top five foreign policy goals: 

    • working with other countries to solve global problems like climate change and pandemics (64%), 

    • standing up for human rights and freedom around the world (61%), and

    • supporting global health programs and providing food aid (55%).

Messaging Guidance

While foreign aid cuts may not be Trump’s greatest political liability, there are clear takeaways in our polling on how best to communicate about this issue. Audience matters — more Democrats prioritize solving global problems like pandemics than Independents or Republicans do.

When discussing foreign aid, it’s best to focus on clear arguments about the human impact of Trump’s cuts, especially on children and communities with the greatest needs.

  • Trump’s cruel, sweeping cuts to foreign aid are letting millions of people — especially children — starve.

  • Shutting down health programs and letting infectious diseases spread jeopardizes everyone’s lives — both here at home and across the globe.