The Trump administration’s decision to commit nearly $2.1 billion in health funding to Nigeria has sparked backlash online from critics who say the move clashes with the President’s ‘America First’ agenda.
The United States Department of State announced on December 20, 2025, that it had signed a five-year bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding with Nigeria aimed at strengthening the country’s health system, with a specific emphasis on Christian faith-based health care providers.
According to a press release, the funding is part of the America First Global Health Strategy. It is intended to support services related to HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, and polio.
The United States Department of State’s release said the agreement was negotiated alongside reforms by the Nigerian government and includes what it described as “significant dedicated funding to support Christian health care facilities,” noting that faith-based clinics and hospitals serve more than 30% of Nigerians.
The department also stated that Nigeria has committed to increasing its own domestic health spending by nearly $3 billion over the same period, calling it the largest co-investment under the strategy to date.
Despite those claims, the announcement drew sharp criticism on social media, with some users questioning why billions of dollars are being directed overseas while domestic needs remain unmet.
How many homeless veterans could we house with this amount?
— Hannah Dowty (@DowtyHannah) December 22, 2025
The controversy comes amid a broader debate inside the administration over foreign aid.
Earlier this year, senior Trump aide Pete Marocco exited the State Department after internal disputes over how aggressively to cut foreign assistance programs. Marocco had led a review that resulted in the dismantling of a large majority of U.S. foreign aid initiatives, The Dallas Express reported at the time.
At the same time, for several months immediately after Trump’s return to office in January, most federal grants, including foreign aid, were paused under a series of executive orders.
The State Department’s release said the President and Secretary of State retain the authority to pause or terminate programs that do not align with the national interest and stressed that the administration expects Nigeria to continue making progress in combating extremist violence against Christian populations.
Over 100,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, many by Islamic terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, DX reported.
