Bread Statement on Rescissions Passage

Washington, D.C., July 18, 2025 – Bread for the World issued the following statement on the final passage of the White House’s rescissions request. The statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World.

“Bread for the World is extremely disappointed by congressional passage of the White House’s rescissions request, which significantly cuts funding for lifesaving international assistance programs including emergency humanitarian relief and United Nations programs such as UNICEF. The Lancet has reported that funding cuts for international humanitarian aid programs already initiated by the White House could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030. Many more people will suffer and die due to these additional funding cuts. 

“We do want to acknowledge our support for some positive changes to the rescissions bill that were made by senators. The final bill ultimately excludes funding cuts the White House requested for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and maternal and child nutrition and health. It also protects funding for Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, both of which deliver international food assistance provided by U.S. farmers, as well as Feed the Future innovation labs. Led by U.S. universities, Feed the Future innovation labs help advance solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.”

The bill rescinds funding approved by Congress for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and codifies many of the cuts to USAID and State Department programs initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Much of the funding rescinded by this bill was passed by Congress and signed into law in March of this year. And because of this bill’s passage, the White House has already signaled it plans to submit additional rescissions requests.

“Congress passed this funding for a reason – international assistance makes America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. Rescinding funding for lifesaving international humanitarian assistance has the opposite effect and will cause our country to appear as an unreliable partner. We know that the DOGE cuts to international assistance programs have already resulted in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths – including children. Why would we purposely cause more?

“God calls on us to care for our neighbors. It doesn’t matter if they are next door or an ocean away. Bread urges Congress to reject any future rescissions requests to international or domestic assistance programs.”