USAID has $19B to close out agency. Critics push to use funds to save lives

The Hill reports that USAID, which was shut down by the Trump administration, has notified Congress it requires $19 billion to cover closure costs—a figure that critics argue diverts resources from humanitarian programs. The article is bylined to Laura Kelly at a major national outlet and cites a direct notification sent to Congress, establishing baseline sourcing credibility, though the full notification text is not provided in the excerpt. Independent reporting from CNN and other outlets corroborates that approximately $2 billion in global health funding is being redirected to cover USAID's closure expenses, and provides concrete context: the New York Times reports a 71 percent cut in humanitarian aid from 2024 to 2025, while images from Bangladesh show real-world impact on tuberculosis hospitals previously funded by USAID. Readers should monitor Congressional responses to this allocation, potential legislative challenges to redirecting humanitarian funds, and documented health outcomes in regions that previously received USAID support.