MYSTERIOUS: 9 - You Need To See This

Australia stands firm behind its foreign aid in the budget, but the future remains precarious

This week’s budget will come as a relief to Australia’s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific that rely on development assistance. The Albanese government did not follow the lead of US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in cutting its foreign aid.

The Conversation · Mar 26, 2025

Australia to redirect $100m in foreign aid to Indo-Pacific region after Trump pulls funding

Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong says ‘hard strategic decisions’ need to be made

The Guardian - AU · Mar 25, 2025

Australia pivots foreign aid to Pacific to cover US cut

Australia will shift $119 million of its foreign aid budget to the Pacific and Southeast Asia to plug holes in critical programs left by US cuts.

AAP · Mar 25, 2025

Trump Admin Proposes USAID Overhaul, Seeks More Humanitarian Aid Power For State Department: Reports

The Trump government is reportedly floating a proposal that will completely revamp the way the U.S. distributes foreign aid. The plans include the elimination of multiple bureaus under the USAID, as well as the transition of other programs into the State Department.

International Business Times · Mar 21, 2025

With aid cuts looming, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face halved rations and misery

Frustration runs high in sprawling camps of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the freeze on American foreign aid

The Independent UK · Mar 21, 2025

Australia in discussions to avoid ‘devastating consequences’ of US aid cuts for Pacific nations

Penny Wong says diplomats are consulting US government and ‘engaging with countries in our region’ to determine need for additional support

The Guardian - AU · Mar 20, 2025

US isn’t first country to dismantle its foreign aid office − here’s what happened after the UK killed its version of USAID

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on March 18, 2025. The court order to pause the agency’s shuttering came days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that 83% of its programs had been cut.

The Conversation · Mar 19, 2025

Trump halted toxic Agent Orange cleanup

Diplomats in Vietnam warned that halting USAID’s efforts to clean up postwar pesticides would be a catastrophe

Salon · Mar 19, 2025

Bill Gates warns he can’t make up funding difference after US government stripped global health payments: report

Cuts to foreign aid have resulted in disruptions to life-saving health care in multiple countries

The Independent UK · Mar 18, 2025

Bill Gates reportedly warned Trump his foundation won’t be able to fund global health gaps if the administration keeps making major cuts

Gates Foundation officials have previously said “no foundation” can effectively replace the U.S. government’s foreign aid funding.

Fortune · Mar 18, 2025