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April 22nd, 2025 | 5:47 AM ET

How Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Could Set Back U.S. Cybersecurity

Experts argue that the benefits of global cyber defense programs far outweigh the costs

DEEP DIVE
The USAID logo is seen on a non functioning computer at the Inclusive Education Community Resource Center, part of the GABAY project impacted by the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid, at the Batangas City East Elementary School on March 14, 2025 in Batangas city, Philippines. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
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Posted: March 20th, 2025

By Eric Geller

Reporting for The Cipher Brief

DEEP DIVE — President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze will kneecap U.S. efforts to build alliances around cybersecurity issues and help Russia and China seize the upper hand in global battles over internet governance and communications infrastructure, according to several experts interviewed by The Cipher Brief.

The White House’s aid restrictions have already shut down much of the State Department’s new $50 million Cyberspace, Digital Connectivity and Related Technologies Fund, preventing the department’s nascent Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy from launching initiatives to help other countries access technology’s benefits and counter its risks. Experts say those programs represent some of America’s best opportunities to build international credibility and recruit partners in the global fight against authoritarian nations.

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Categorized as:North America Reporting Tech/CyberTagged with:

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