U.S. Cuts Myanmar Aid $1.1 Billion – A Blow to Human Rights

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The U.S. government has officially ended most of its financial assistance to Myanmar Aid, canceling $259 million in projected aid for 2025. This includes $45 million previously allocated to democracy promotion, human rights initiatives, and independent media.

Over the course of President Donald Trump’s administration (2025–2029), Myanmar Aid is set to lose approximately $1.1 billion in total U.S. aid, with $181 million in funding for democracy efforts now eliminated. Compounding the crisis, the United Kingdom recently announced a 40% reduction in its foreign aid budget, further undermining support for Myanmar’s struggling civil society and humanitarian needs.

These funding U.S. cuts Myanmar aid are a severe blow to Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement and millions of people who depend on international assistance. They also provide an advantage to the military regime and its authoritarian allies, including China and Russia, which are now poised to expand their influence in the region.

The Full Impact of the Myanmar Aid Cuts

On 27 February 2025, the U.S. government decided to cancel 90% of its aid contracts with Myanmar—an unprecedented shift in foreign policy. U.S. assistance previously accounted for 26% of all international aid to Myanmar, none of which was directed toward the military-controlled authorities.

Myanmar, a top recipient of USAID funding in Southeast Asia and the ninth-largest globally, received $236 million in U.S. aid in 2023 and $237 million in 2024. The now-canceled $259 million in projected 2025 aid included:

$172 million (72%) for humanitarian assistance, healthcare, agriculture, and education.
$44 million (19%) for democracy programs, human rights initiatives, and independent media.

Over the next four years, Myanmar is expected to lose over $1 billion in U.S. aid, severely impacting civil society organizations and independent journalism that have long supported democratic resistance.

Broader Global Aid Reductions

The crisis is exacerbated by the United Kingdom’s recent 40% cut in its foreign aid budget. The UK funds 25 projects in Myanmar, with a budget of $37 million for 2024 and a planned $55 million for 2025. However, with these cuts, Myanmar will receive only $28 million by 2027—a drastic drop from $121 million before the coup and COVID-19 pandemic.

For months, human rights organizations have warned that U.S. aid freezes would cripple Myanmar’s civil society, particularly independent media outlets that challenge military rule. Those warnings have now become a reality.

Severe Humanitarian & Democratic Consequences

The long-term effects of these funding cuts will be devastating. In 2025 alone, 19 million people—35% of Myanmar’s population—will require food, healthcare, and protection assistance. The loss of U.S. aid will:

Worsen food insecurity and healthcare shortages, hitting displaced communities, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable populations the hardest.
Cripple independent media and civil society groups, making it harder to challenge military rule and promote democratic governance.
Force many media organizations to shut down, silencing voices that expose human rights abuses and military crackdowns.

Groups like Human Rights Myanmar Aid and other democracy-focused organizations now face an existential crisis, with survival looking increasingly uncertain.

A Dangerous Precedent for Foreign Policy

The U.S. aid cuts mark a broader retreat by democratic governments from supporting human rights and democracy worldwide. If Myanmar’s civil society is abandoned, it raises troubling questions:

What does this mean for other fragile democracies?
Will authoritarian regimes worldwide gain further ground as Western democracies scale back support?

By withdrawing aid, the U.S. and UK are handing a strategic advantage to Myanmar’s military regime and its allies in China and Russia. These powers are likely to expand their economic and political influence in Myanmar, further entrenching authoritarian rule.

A Call to Reverse the Cuts

The U.S. and UK must immediately reconsider these aid reductions. Policymakers in Washington and London must recognize the immense harm these cuts will inflict—not just on Myanmar, but on the global fight for democracy.

If USAID is permanently shut down and its functions transferred to the U.S. State Department, aid must still be prioritized as an emergency issue. Myanmar’s people must not become collateral damage in shifting foreign policy priorities.