Skip to content

Former USAID official Nicholas Enrich details devastation from agency cuts

journalismApr 18, 2026377

Nicholas Enrich, a former USAID official, told The Guardian that Trump administration cuts to USAID would leave 23 million children without access to education and strip basic healthcare from 95 million people, with Oxfam estimating the reductions could cause more than 3 million preventable deaths per year. Enrich, WHO says he witnessed the agency's dismantling firsthand, lays out those accounts in his 2026 book Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID. Enrich says the cuts unraveled decades of U.S. development work, including programs tied to the Bush-era $15 billion, five-year HIV commitment that operated in countries such as Kenya.

Key Highlights

Oxfam estimates 23 million children would lose access to education.
As many as 95 million people could lose basic healthcare services.
Cuts could lead to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year.
2 sources