International Humanitarian Assistance

(Humanitarian Assistance)

Department of State & International Programs

Proposed Cut

$2.0B

% Reduction

33.0%

Action Type

reduction

Who Is Served

Refugees worldwide; disaster-affected populations; migration-affected communities

Summary

International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA) funds emergency food, shelter, clean water, and medical care for refugees and people displaced by wars and natural disasters, mostly delivered through the UN and international relief groups. The FY2027 budget proposes cutting this program by $2,000 million (33%), shrinking the account from its current level to about $4 billion as the administration shifts money toward domestic priorities and channels more aid through multilateral partners instead of direct U.S.-run programs.

Who Is Affected

The cut affects refugees, asylum seekers, and disaster survivors around the world who rely on U.S.-funded relief delivered by agencies like UNHCR and the World Food Programme; more than 122 million people are currently forcibly displaced globally. It also affects the international NGOs and UN agencies that depend on U.S. dollars to run shelters, clinics, and feeding programs, at a time when overall U.S. humanitarian funding has already fallen sharply, from about $14 billion to roughly $3.7 billion between 2024 and 2025.

What this cut would actually mean

With less money available, relief agencies will have to serve fewer people or cut services such as food rations, medical care, and safe shelter in crisis zones; UNHCR has already reported cutting protection services for women and girls in Afghanistan by more than half and closing most safe spaces in South Sudan due to funding shortfalls. Researchers who track humanitarian financing have linked the broader pullback in U.S. aid to increased malnutrition, disease, and preventable deaths among displaced and disaster-affected populations who have no other source of assistance.

Sources

National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs: FY2027 Budget and Appropriations (CRS Report R48956) — Congressional Research Service report detailing the FY2027 State Department budget request, including the $4.00 billion IHA request and the overall reduction to foreign assistance accounts.
Proposed Cuts to Diplomacy and International Assistance Out of Step with Broad Bipartisan Consensus — U.S. Global Leadership Coalition analysis confirming the FY2027 request cuts humanitarian assistance by roughly 33% from FY2026 enacted levels, with $4 billion going to the IHA account.
Key things to know about the proposed foreign aid budget for FY2027 — WOLA analysis explaining how the IHA account is being redirected toward migration-control activities alongside its traditional refugee and disaster relief functions.
Early donor support tops $1 billion for 2026, but widening funding gaps leave millions at risk — UNHCR press release describing real-world service cuts, including reduced protection services in Afghanistan and closed safe spaces in South Sudan, resulting from shrinking donor funding.
A Generational Collapse: Tracking the Toll of Trump's Humanitarian Aid Cuts — Refugees International report documenting the drop in U.S. humanitarian funding from about $14 billion to $3.7 billion and its effects on displaced populations.
Even With Reform, Humanitarian Assistance Needs More US Finance — Center for Global Development analysis linking reductions in U.S. humanitarian financing to increased mortality risk among aid-dependent populations.