WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration, through Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, oversaw the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a move that led to the deaths of children in Nigeria and Kenya after they lost access to critical, previously free medication. U.S. officials have defended the decision, citing alternative diplomatic health agreements despite documented fatalities and expert estimates of widespread harm.

Elon Musk, as head of President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, presided over USAID's termination, stating he was "feeding USAID into the wood chipper." Following the funding cuts, Abdullahi Ibrahim, a 10-year-old boy in Sabon Gari, Nigeria, died from a fatal asthma attack after his family could no longer afford medication once supplied at no cost by USAID. Ibrahim Garba, an 8-year-old boy in Nigeria, died from typhoid after USAID support ended, and Purity Wamboi, a 16-year-old girl in Nairobi, Kenya, succumbed to tuberculosis-related complications due to delayed diagnosis and an inability to pay for treatment.

Ibrahim Musa, father of Abdullahi Ibrahim, said, "If there was still help coming from USAID, I'm very sure my child would still be alive today." Brooke Nichols, an infectious disease modeler and health economist at Boston University, estimates that more than 700,000 people—including over half a million children—died within one year due to the abrupt cessation of USAID funding. Musk disputed these claims in posts on X on June 28 and June 29, 2026, asserting that deaths in Africa decreased after USAID funding cuts and that critics "cannot cite a single name of someone who died out of the 'millions' they falsely claim have died."

In May 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before Congress that "No children are dying on my watch" in response to questions about USAID's termination. The U.S. State Department later responded to inquiries about the deaths of the three named children by highlighting the Trump administration’s signing of 32 bilateral global health memorandums of understanding, including agreements with Kenya and Nigeria.

The shutdown of USAID eliminated a major channel for U.S. global health assistance, directly affecting access to life-saving medication in lower-middle-income countries like Nigeria and Kenya. The documented deaths of specific children—Abdullahi Ibrahim, Ibrahim Garba, and Purity Wamboi—contrast with official denials and point to tangible human costs amid broader estimates of hundreds of thousands of fatalities. The administration’s pivot to bilateral memorandums of understanding represents a structural shift in how U.S. health aid is delivered, though it has not prevented reported gaps in critical care access following USAID’s closure.