This resolution affirms the essential humanitarian work that many governments provide, acknowledges that work as one way we carry out our Lord’s command to love our neighbor.

USAID has recently experienced severe cuts in funding. A May 5, 2025, article by Oxfam America estimates that as a result of these cuts, “At least 23 million children stand to lose access to education, and as many as 95 million people would lose access to basic healthcare, potentially leading to more than 3 million preventable deaths per year.”

Considering that USAID addresses many of the same issues and concerns addressed by our denomination, global partners, global personnel, and Christians throughout the world, such as hunger, clean water, education, health care, and community development for some of the last and the least in our world;

And considering that some of the regions of the world where these cuts are having the most severe and detrimental effects are the very regions where the Evangelical Covenant Church has been working for many years in partnership with sister churches, congregants, and organizations who will be negatively impacted by these cuts, including places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Gaza, and India;

And considering that prior to these cuts, funding for USAID amounted to only about 1% of the total US budget; and gratefully acknowledging that prior to these cuts the United States was the largest single contributor to International Development, but when aid is calculated as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or when aid is calculated per capita, the United States (even prior to these cuts) ranked significantly lower than many other developed countries;

RESOLVED: The 140th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church affirms the essential humanitarian work that many governments provide, acknowledges that work as one way we carry out our Lord’s command to love our neighbor, grieves the preventable suffering and loss that will result when such funds are cut, and humbly encourages and implores governments to consider the restoration of the life-saving funding where it has been reduced, and expansion of such funding wherever possible.