PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 18:: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks after signing an ... [+] executive order at his Mar-a-Lago resort on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTariff and trade wars seem to be dominating recent headlines. Equally if not more important is the devastating health consequences of some of President Trumps executive orders on health and global health. The health of societys most vulnerable population is intimately linked to government policies and priorities. Here are how the most vulnerable populations in America and around the world will suffer because of recent policy shifts.Individuals In Low-Income CountriesThe Trump administration officially cut 83% of USAIDs foreign aid contracts, which equates to billions of dollars in aid to fight important infectious diseases like malaria, a leading cause of death in many African countries. Although the U.S. State Department for Humanitarian Assistance issued a waiver that would get malaria medicines to millions that need them, many humanitarian contracts have been terminated and many medicines and insecticide-treated bed nets that help treat and prevent malaria have not reached some of the poorest countries like Uganda and Nigeria. These countries endure the largest burdens of malaria worldwide.New modeling from Malaria No More suggests that just a year of disruption of life-saving malaria drugs would lead to 15 million additional malaria cases and 107,000 additional deaths globally, most occurring in low-income countries in Africa. These deaths in the poorest populations would be entirely preventable with U.S. aid.Consider also tuberculosis, which globally accounts for the most deaths of any infectious disease. About 1.25 million people died globally from this bacterial infection in 2023, according to the World Health Organization.The USAID normally funds up to $250 million for tuberculosis programs in 24 countries, many in Africa that face the highest burden of disease. With the onslaught of funding cuts, drug supply chains are breaking down and laboratory services have been disrupted, making identifying, monitoring and treating tuberculosis difficult.Since the discontinuation of USAID funding, about 3,600 tuberculosis deaths have occurred and 6,400 new cases have been diagnosed. The vast majority of these cases and deaths could have been prevented with continued aid and funding from the United States. These health casualties are occurring predominantly in poor patients who live in low-income countries and cannot afford tuberculosis medications.Another important federal program that has been impacted by the freeze on foreign aid includes the Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. This program has provided life-saving HIV/AIDS care to low-income countries since 2003, and has saved more than 26 million lives since its inception. Despite waivers in place that theoretically would allow life-saving anti-retroviral therapy and HIV testing to continue, many PEPFAR programs have since been terminated. As an example, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, which treats HIV pregnant women to prevent their babies from contracting HIV in the U.S. and abroad, received a cancellation notice that affected the care of over 350,000 people.If funding for PEPFAR is not restored completely, about 1 million people will die every year. These will all occur in low-income countries where people otherwise cannot afford anti-viral medications to fight HIV.Marginalized Communities In AmericaPresident Trump, in a recent executive order, also terminated the Health Equity Advisory Committee for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This committee identifies and addresses systemic barriers to healthcare access, and is particularly important to marginalized communities like people of color and those who live in rural areas that face significant challenges in accessing high-quality healthcare. Without this committee, people of color will continue to suffer and racial disparities in healthcare will continue to be amplified.Low-income Americans And Those With DisabilitiesThe future of Medicaid also remains uncertain as Congressional Republicans are attempting to reduce spending. Trillions of dollars could be cut for Medicaid, by potentially capping the amount of spending per enrollee or adding work requirements for each beneficiary.If these policies are enacted, millions of Americans could be dropped from Medicaid, the largest health insurance program serving over 70 million Americans. Medicaid provides health insurance to low-income individuals, pregnant females, children and those with disabilities. This would mean these Americans would have less access to doctor visits, dental care and access to life-saving medications. Medicaid serves those who cannot afford healthcare and medications to begin with, and such policies will have devastating consequences in amplifying health disparities among the most vulnerable.As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane.