Congress created several organizations in 1980s to strengthen democratic institutions worldwide. Human rights activists say the freeze is a gift to authoritarians like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

Yet his decision to abruptly freeze nearly $72 billion in U.S. foreign aid has still managed to send shockwaves at home and abroad—because of just how much it would undermine American interests and global stability.

A Sudanese activist on the outcomes—and the irreversible implications—of abruptly freezing foreign assistance.