Trump’s USAID cuts threaten women’s program he created and daughter Ivanka 'really cared' about

A program that President Donald Trump started and that was touted by his daughter Ivanka Trump will likely be caught in the crosshairs as the administration looks to dismantle the agency in charge of international aid, USAID, CBS News reported on Monday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month put a freeze on all foreign assistance through USAID. “President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people,” the White House said in a statement. Last week, a judge temporarily blocked Trump's effort to place 2,200 USAID workers on leave.

The Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP) was established in 2019 to help 50 million women around the world through economic aid. At the time, Ivanka wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal about the W-GDP’s launch. She said it would, "for the first time[,] coordinate America's commitment to one of the most undervalued resources in the developing world — the talent, ambition and genius of women."

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She added that the initiative intended to help “50 million women in developing countries realize their economic potential by 2025.” In 2020, President Trump announced that in its first year the program “impacted 12 million women.” But, by 2021, Politico reported the initiative was "undercut by shoddy implementation.'

Lillian Achom, who received a grant through USAID's Women Connect Challenge, was invited to the White House for G-GDP’s launch. Ivanka "was somebody who really cared," she told CBS News’ Joanne Stocker.

"I could see that she really loves stories of our success, stories of how women are impacting communities around the globe," Achom said.

Ivanka did not reply to CBS News’ request for comment. A State Department spokesperson said the agency was reviewing programs "to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."

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Cuts to USAID, which provided reliable assistance, will have lasting effects. "The ability of the entire community to move out of poverty is really going to be slowed down or compromised," Achom said.