Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) sharply criticized President Trump’s decision to cut funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), calling it a dangerous move toward authoritarianism. Speaking outside the USAID offices in Washington, she warned that these cuts could harm global humanitarian efforts and undermine U.S. foreign policy.

Omar argued that reducing foreign aid would disproportionately affect countries in crisis, weaken democratic institutions, and endanger lives worldwide. She framed the decision as part of a broader attempt to centralize power, claiming it reflected a disturbing trend threatening American democracy. While Trump defended the cuts as necessary for reducing the deficit, Omar and critics see them as undermining U.S. global leadership and empowering authoritarian regimes.