A voice for the voiceless: A global mental health perspective of the impact of the USAID freeze.

Fresh into the newly elected United States President's second term, the USA Government Executive Branch, supported by cabinet leadership, announced an unexpected and staggering cut of more than sixty billion USD in already promised global development assistance that was to be channeled via the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Even though the virtual elimination of the entire USAID agency was devastating, the cut also affected nearly all US development assistance, including that going through universities, and other US organizations. This dramatic reduction in the development and humanitarian aid from the US has had - and increasingly will have - a staggering ripple effect that will harm many of the most vulnerable people on this planet. Although development aid for health is usually associated with primary health programs, the impact on global mental health programs and the direct and indirect effects on mental health are enormous. This commentary illustrates - with stories from those affected - the unprecedented scale and reach of the global mental health crisis ahead.