22 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID Appreciation Event, held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., featured messages from President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush, two panels of former Administrators, messages from several world leaders, a panel of practitioners on the impact of USAID assistance, and more. You can see the videos of this event at https://bit.ly/USAID-event. Tens of thousands of practitioners had been abruptly thrust into a job market where their primary employment options were decimated and, in many cases, had also lost the health insurance coverage that would ordinarily cover the costs of mental health support. AidTA established a partnership with the KonTerra Group, a former USAID Staff Care provider, which in the year since its founding had served more than 1,000 development professionals through weekly peer group counseling sessions, weekly webinars, and discussion groups on managing grief, anxiety, and transition, as well as individual counseling services. In 2026 AidTA launched a new career wellness transition program following our partnership with Georgetown University’s Pivot with Purpose in 2025. With such a high number of people continuing to search for not just employment, but a meaningful career, the new initiative is a cohort-based program designed to support people in exactly this moment. Given the dearth of opportunities for former Foreign Service Nationals and national staff members of implementing partners impacted by USAID’s closure, AidTA also initiated a peer-topeer support program. These groups meet weekly for six to eight weeks in a structured and facilitated process in the local language, helping build skills for career transition. There Is a Future for Foreign Assistance Stand Up for AID conducted original research intended to identify changing perceptions of foreign assistance. The research revealed that Americans don’t hate foreign aid; they hate the term “foreign aid.” There is significant support for specific interventions, especially in global health, when communicated effectively. Americans want to provide countries with medicine, food, and medical supplies. For example, a May 2025 Pew Research Center study found that 83 percent of all Americans (and 77 percent of Republicans) say the U.S. should provide medicine and medical supplies to developing countries. And, while 58 percent of Americans initially say the United States spends “too much” on foreign aid, according to a February 2025 Kaiser Family Foundation survey, after learning aid accounts for just 1 percent of the federal budget, that number drops to 34 percent—a 24-point swing driven by information, not ideology. • Save Lives: Continue lifesaving aid in response to humanitarian disasters. • Support U.S. Engagement Globally: Be deliberate about supporting U.S. companies and collaborating with other U.S. private capital flows. • Invest in America’s Comparative Advantage: Use U.S. resources, leadership, values, innovation, and institutions to advance global prosperity, security, and stability. • Protect Americans’ Health and Economy: Investing in other countries’ human, animal, and plant health systems and responding to outbreaks remain critical to national security. • Invest in Champions: Investments in future generations of global leaders will establish enduring networks of influence and shared values. • Insist on Commitment and Accountability with a Clear Endgame: As an investment in a partner’s future, assistance should be conditioned on shared commitment. • Make Targeted, High-Impact Investments in Fewer Countries: Make more targeted, robust investments in fewer countries and issues. • Establish Partnerships Reflecting U.S. Interests: Avoid self-imposed political and ideological constraints that prevent global cooperation and undermine U.S. security and prosperity. • Focus on Desired Outcomes, Not Earmarks: Shift toward a results-driven framework that emphasizes long-term outcomes over rigid, input-based funding mandates. • Eliminate Barriers to a Whole-of-Government Approach: Eliminate barriers to delivering assistance under a single American banner while utilizing the full weight, talent, and influence of the entire U.S. government. —Former senior career USAID officials, excerpted from “An Open Letter on the Future of U.S. Foreign Assistance,” signed by 72 senior career development diplomats and humanitarians and released in November 2025. Ten Recommendations to Realign and Modernize U.S. Foreign Assistance
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