New research published in the journal The Lancet warns that cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development could result in 14 million deaths over the next five years.
USAID funding has played a crucial role in reducing preventable deaths among both children and adults across low and middle-income countries.
Researchers analyzed two decades of the organization's successes to determine what would be lost due to these cuts.
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The USAID-funded programs prevented more than 91 million deaths globally, including 30 million children under five years old, according to the study.
The various programs were associated with a reduction in mortality from HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, nutritional deficiencies and neglected tropical diseases, the study said.
For the past 20 years, the United States has been the leading government donor to humanitarian response plans, development aid and multilateral development banks — particularly in African countries.
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The Trump administration has cut more than 80% of USAID programs since January.
"To our knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive analysis to assess the impact of total USAID funding—including support for health care, nutrition, humanitarian aid, development, education, and related sectors," the researchers wrote.
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