All MSU USAID programs have been cut as the federal government seeks to reshape higher education and cut what it sees as wasteful spending. At MSU, nine direct and five flow-through USAID projects were terminated, amounting to more than $20 million in funding lost.
USAID is a government agency that provides international humanitarian assistance. The agency provides an array of programs and aid, some of which is done through grants given to universities for projects that provide help to countries in need. (State News – April 17, 2025).
Guests Janet Fierro, communications manager for the Feed the Future Global Biotech Potato Partnership, and David Douches, professor and director of the partnership, join the podcast to discuss the impact of the funding cuts. Douches’ Feed the Future program was one of those cancelled by USAID.