Executive Summary

U.S. foreign assistance drives growth and self-reliance across the globe, helping communities build sustainable economies and opportunities for a stable future in their own countries, nurture effective public health systems that meet the needs of women and girls, and strengthen democratic institutions—all of which make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), initiated by President George W. Bush, has saved millions of lives to date and ensures that newborn babies are born HIV-free. FEWS NET, a famine early warning system and vital data analysis tool, has provided timely information to governments about impending food crises. The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, established 20 years ago, helps protect 700 million people annually across 27 countries from malaria.

But foreign assistance does not just promote U.S. compassion and leadership on the world stage—it brings tangible benefits to the American public.

Each year, the U.S. government purchases roughly $2.1 billion in crops from American farmers. In 2024, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) funding to American small businesses surpassed $1 billion. Feed the Future Innovation Labs partner with top U.S. universities and companies to develop cutting-edge approaches that improve agricultural yields, nutrition, and economic prosperity for millions. Power Africa brings together the U.S. private sector with African governments and other partners to electrify the African continent and support global economic growth. These few examples demonstrate the dynamic economic impact foreign assistance has on the U.S. economy.

In practice, this means that an American farmer in Missouri knows that his or her excess food production is helping stabilize regions around the world. It means that a veteran owned business in Denver measures the effectiveness of this food assistance, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are in fact getting to children in Ethiopia. It means college students at universities in Florida, Illinois, Nebraska, and elsewhere get to leverage emerging technologies to help millions of people gain food security. The domestic economic benefits are evident in the fact that 46 states have already seen job losses from the programs cut from the State Department and USAID.

U.S. foreign assistance has played a significant role in creating enduring alliances and friends around the globe. It can continue to be a vital asset with adequate funding and effective implementation. U.S. assistance restored Europe after World War II, built democracies and free markets after the fall of communism, and saved millions of lives through vaccinations from polio to tuberculosis. The return on these strategic and moral investments endure to this day.

However, our world continues to face challenges: 692 million people live in extreme poverty and over 300 million people need humanitarian assistance. A new government in Syria is taking shape while conflict and violence in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo rage. Instability, political crises, and a lack of economic development not only affect those living under those conditions, but destabilizes the peace, security, and economic safety of the United States. Our world and its challenges are complex, but they are best addressed when America leads.

As the world’s most prosperous country, the United States has the resources to take care of domestic priorities and make wise investments in foreign assistance. Effective engagement brings dignity to millions around the globe while also enhancing American economic prospects and stability.

America should be the first ally and partner of choice for countries around the world. American businesses should be expanding globally, increasing trade and jobs here at home. American values of compassion and the value of every life should be what every country aspires to. Foreign assistance is the soft power tool that enables this to happen.

As the Administration reviews foreign assistance, this essential engagement can improve, better articulate the impact of taxpayer investments, and ensure U.S. development and humanitarian assistance saves lives, catalyzes self-reliance, and continues to make America stronger, safer and more prosperous.

For additional information and recommendations, please see InterAction’s “What’s Next for Foreign Aid.”

Contents

As the nation's leading policy advocate for development and humanitarian relief programs, representing over 160 U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that implement programs worldwide, InterAction is proud to present Choose to Invest (CTI). CTI is a public resource to improve understanding of the critical accounts that fund emergency relief and recovery. From these accounts—a fraction of the overall federal budget—come the critical programs that further the strategic interests of the U.S. abroad and pay dividends for American taxpayers.

CTI provides information, results, and funding recommendations for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026) across six core accounts and three additional accounts primarily financed through the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Bill. It also covers international food security programs funded by the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. Each account includes a recommended funding level that will sustain America’s leadership in the world while also ensuring Americans at home are taken care of.

An additional InterAction resource, Foreign Assistance Delivers, provides a birds eye view of the foreign assistance architecture, outlining what foreign assistance is, who is at the table, and what the primary U.S. foreign assistance agencies are.