One China expert told Newsweek that the USAID funding freeze had handed an "enormous gift" to Beijing's push to influence the Global South. Meanwhile, one Kremlin propagandist has said on Russian television that Moscow could exploit the gap left by USAID and project geopolitical power with a similar program.

The White House has released a list of USAID programs its considers wasteful and that it says abused taxpayer funds by backing programs that supported DEI initiatives.