A Complex Legacy: U.S. Global Food Security Assistance, 2008–Present

Among the U.S. government global development programs paused or terminated in 2025 are those that aimed to improve global agriculture and nutrition. These programs reflect longstanding, bipartisan support for U.S. global food security efforts. These programs also reflect a complex array of U.S. legislative, bureaucratic, and funding priorities regarding food security. While the cessation of these programs represents losses—lost U.S. influence globally and lost support for food security by recipient countries—it also represents an important opportunity. Going forward, U.S. lawmakers may consider ways to streamline U.S. foreign assistance for global food security to reduce duplication of efforts, ensure complementarity of investments, and further U.S. national security interests.

Interact with the infographic below, which looks at eight of these U.S. global food security assistance programs over the last four presidential terms and illustrates their reach around the world.