Dear John,

We celebrate International Women’s Day today. Here at Ms. we're cheering for the gains women and girls have made over the past 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set forth the most comprehensive global agreement for achieving gender equality. However, this year, I’m particularly thinking of the thousands of women, and children, and people, who will be adversely impacted by the shuttering of USAID. 

It’s been said USAID shutting down represents an incalculable loss—but we actually can calculate what will be lost, and the numbers are devastating. The xxxxxx reports that a memo from an employee who has since been fired reveals that if the aid is permanently suspended, there could be “12.5-17.9 million cases of malaria with an additional 71,000-166,000 deaths annually; A 28 to 32 percent increase in tuberculosis globally; An additional 200,000 paralytic polio cases a year; And, in a worst-case scenario, more than 28,000 cases of Ebola, Marburg, or related diseases. … An estimated 1 million children would not be treated annually for severe acute malnutrition.” 

Let that sink in. 

And of course, as with many of the Trump Administration’s recent decisions, it’s one that goes directly against the wishes of the American public. Polling from Kaiser Family Foundation shows that two thirds of Americans believe dissolving USAID “will lead to more illness and death globally.” (Of Americans who support the cuts, polling shows that many believe foreign aid accounts for a larger proportion of the federal budget than it actually does.) 

In fact, Trump’s cuts—both domestic, and international—have been largely unpopular with the American public. And part of that is because we’ve been feeling the impact. According to Navigator, 20 percent of Americans “know someone who has lost access to federal services,” and that percentage jumps up among younger Americans. And 17 percent know someone who has either been laid off from, or quit a government job—a number that jumps up to 29 percent when it comes to younger Americans. This week in Ms., contributing writer Mary Giovagnoli, a former ombudsman for unaccompanied children—a new position that would have played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of children separated from their parents under the Trump administration—details what it was like to be one of the people impacted by these cuts. I encourage you to read her harrowing words: “Setting termination dates just days before someone is no longer on probation takes planning,” she writes. “It takes a certain ruthlessness that is part of this administration’s ongoing pattern of intimidation.”

Yes, it’s hard to celebrate International Women’s Day under these circumstances—when we’re acutely reminded every day that this administration is making decisions that will directly contribute to the suffering and deaths of women and their children at home and abroad. But I’m also heartened. By the women taking to the streets in cities and towns across the U.S. to protest. By the women taking to the streets in Iran and Afghanistan at the risk of their own lives, where they’ve long been resisting regimes that seek to curtail their rights. And I’m heartened by the Ms. community—who continue to show that women’s issues are front-page issues. 

As long as women’s rights are under attack, Ms. will continue to sound the alarm. Happy International Women’s Day, to you and the women and girls in your life—who deserve equality and rights in all areas of their lives. 

For equality,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

Listen to the latest Ms. Studios podcast The Z Factor: Gen Z's Voice & Vote — now on Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

In the fourth episode of The Z Factor, host Anoushka Chander is joined by Ashwin Ramaswami to dive into how we deal with political loss. Anoushka and Ashwin discuss his campaign’s strategy to use technology to reach people, how he engages with young men disillusioned with politics, and what Democrats can change about their messaging going forward. Ashwin also shares how his Indian-American upbringing influenced his political service work.

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U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For over 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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