Venezuela Earthquake Tests Trump's New Western Hemisphere Policy After USAID Dissolved

A pair of earthquakes this week in Venezuela is posing a major challenge to U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere, as President Donald Trump's administration rushes to deploy a large-scale disaster relief operation to a nation now considered an ally in Latin America. This follows a U.S. special forces operation in January that captured former leader Nicolás Maduro.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the response “fast, big, effective” and a “whole-of-government” effort. The U.S. State Department dispatched three specialized search-and-rescue teams and pledged $150 million in aid — a sum one former disaster relief expert described as the largest ever seen within 24 hours of an incident. The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) deployed to Venezuela includes over 250 personnel.

The mission carries high risk for the U.S. The Trump administration dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), shifted disaster relief operations to the State Department, and fired thousands of aid workers. The U.S. also captured Maduro in a special forces operation earlier this year, bringing him to the U.S. to face federal charges related to narco-terrorism. His successor, Delcy Rodríguez, has shown much more goodwill toward Washington.

“They suffered a terrible earthquake, many people died right in Caracas, and we have many people there helping,” Trump said Friday. He added that the U.S. has had an excellent relationship with Venezuela since capturing Maduro: “We took millions of barrels of oil and paid for the war many times over. But more importantly … they are making more money than ever. Aside from what happened last night … it was a big earthquake, buildings collapsed, but aside from (the earthquake) it is a happy country, people dancing in the streets.”

While the U.S. has responded to disasters like Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the scale of the Venezuela earthquake — which killed at least 920 people — far exceeds any challenge this administration has faced. “This is their first real test, because of the magnitude of the disaster,” said Susan Reichle, a former USAID adviser who worked on disaster response after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. “It is clearly in our hemisphere and very important to President Trump's foreign policy.”

Under Trump, the U.S. has reshaped foreign aid as a mutually beneficial deal rather than charity. Washington has focused on cutting bilateral agreements and humanitarian aid infrastructure abroad, especially through USAID reductions. The foreign assistance unit in Colombia once had 144 staff before cuts; now it has 14, and many ties with NGOs and local contractors have been severed.

Reichle noted that on the positive side, the administration immediately declared a disaster and activated DART and search-and-rescue teams, even though the first 72 hours after an earthquake are critical for reaching survivors. Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said Saturday that dozens had been rescued, bringing “joy when they can hug their families and loved ones.”

The U.S. approach of anti-internationalism in public health has led to some missed opportunities. Health experts say the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) caused a significant delay — up to 10 days — in reporting an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, severely impacting the crisis response.

The Trump administration also faces a crisis of empathy. During his first term, Trump visited Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and tossed paper towels to families without water or electricity — an act the San Juan mayor called “terrible and disgusting.” This time, the U.S. response appears calculated to head off criticism many expected. “They feel pressure and are throwing every resource at this emergency, hoping to deliver for people who desperately need help,” said Sam Vigersky, an international relations expert at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), who has led U.S. disaster response teams in Africa.

In an analysis, Vigersky summarized key indicators — including the deployment of DART and urban search-and-rescue teams — suggesting the State Department is maintaining a tempo similar to previous responses to earthquakes in Turkey (2023) and Haiti (2021). The $150 million pledge for Venezuela is the largest aid package he has seen “within the first 24 hours of a sudden-onset disaster.” He emphasized: “There is clearly a political element in Venezuela. They have a relationship with the interim government, and seeing them succeed and stabilize is in the U.S. interest.”