'Perfect Storm': How Trump's Aid Cuts Are Fueling the Ebola Outbreak

As the Ebola outbreak intensifies in central and East Africa, public health workers are expressing concerns that the Trump administration's reductions in foreign aid and support for global health organizations have severely hampered the response efforts.

Amadou Bocoum, the Democratic Republic of Congo country director for the anti-poverty organization CARE, stated, "We are no longer able to get some supplies," adding that this limitation prevents prompt action. He emphasized that essential medical items, including masks and hand sanitizers, as well as crucial testing components, are running low due to significant funding cuts.

In discussions with more than half a dozen global health experts, it became clear that the Trump administration's decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), along with other funding reductions, has resulted in a disjointed and under-resourced system for disease prevention and response. This situation is further exacerbated by a workforce that is already experiencing fatigue.

A current employee from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who has experience with outbreaks, remarked, "We are so far behind in this outbreak. This is a perfect storm."

On May 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the Ebola outbreak as an emergency "of international concern." This particular strain of Ebola, referred to as Bundibugyo, currently lacks a vaccine or treatment. As of May 19, there were over 530 confirmed cases and 134 deaths, with these figures on the rise. The CDC estimates that between 25 and 50 percent of individuals infected with this strain will succumb to the disease.

Bocoum cautioned, "People really need to understand that if this is not handled carefully, it will get wild very easily. It's really key that we need to react fast to contain it."

The outbreak was initially detected in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, an area that shares borders with South Sudan and Uganda and is recognized as a transit point for refugees. There have already been verified cases in Kampala, Uganda's capital, among individuals who traveled from Congo. This region sees high cross-border traffic, especially during this season, coinciding with an annual pilgrimage from Congo to Uganda. Although Uganda has postponed the celebration due to Ebola concerns, the dissemination of this information to rural communities remains uncertain.

In February 2025, amid the redesign of agencies by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), funding for Ebola prevention was reportedly cut, with Musk informing Trump administration officials that this was "accidental." However, as WIRED reported, the funding critical for lifesaving Ebola efforts was not restored. The DOGE also imposed substantial reductions on the CDC, further weakening a pivotal player in global health response. Additionally, in April 2025, the Trump administration directed a National Institutes of Health facility focused on Ebola research to cease its operations.

Before the DOGE budget cuts, USAID was instrumental in the Democratic Republic of Congo's policies for infectious disease prevention, treatment, and management. In 2024, the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa highlighted that USAID had provided treatment for deadly diseases like tuberculosis and HIV to 11 million individuals that year, and had been vital in containing six previous Ebola outbreaks.

A current CDC employee with outbreak experience noted, "We're missing a huge player in the response right now. We used to coordinate closely with USAID during these outbreaks because while the CDC could mobilize public health responders rapidly, USAID excelled at providing materials and funding swiftly."

They further explained, "In a perfect world, the WHO could fill in the gaps. However, they too are facing funding challenges from the U.S. So, essentially, we have removed two of the primary channels through which support for this outbreak could flow." The United States formally withdrew from the WHO in January 2026, concluding a process initiated by Trump's executive order on his second term's first day, contributing to significant funding shortages and staffing cuts.

While the CDC has deployed teams to collaborate with WHO for a coordinated global response, the employee indicated that these teams are operating under diminished capacity due to the cuts and loss of leadership. They cautioned, "They will get burnt out. They cannot sustain 16-hour workdays for two consecutive months without needing additional support." They also highlighted that the smaller pool of available personnel for assistance is concerning, as traditionally involved teams are currently unable to participate due to staffing shortages in their regular operations.

Infectious disease physician Joia Mukherjee, a professor at Harvard Medical School and clinical advisor at the nonprofit Partners In Health, asserted that the outbreak "unequivocally" could have been detected earlier had U.S. aid not been reduced.

Other experts agreed. Anna Tate, a former biosecurity strategy lead at U.S. Health and Human Services and current leader of domestic programs for the global health nonprofit Project HOPE, stated, "When funding disruptions impact surveillance systems, workforce capacity, laboratory operations, vaccination initiatives, infection prevention, and community-response activities, it hinders the ability to identify cases early and implement swift containment measures."

Tate emphasized that there is an important lesson to be gleaned from this crisis: "Outbreak response capacity cannot be built overnight during a crisis."

Although the CDC is equipped with intensive monitoring capabilities and travel restrictions have already been instituted, experts express concern regarding the potential for the outbreak to expand, including the possibility of cases emerging in the U.S. A former deputy assistant administrator for global health at USAID warned, "If this is not brought under control immediately, we will see cases here in no time."