President Donald Trump on Friday commented on a horrible earthquake hitting Thailand and Myanmar that killed at least 150 people and left many trapped under fallen structures. At Washington media events, Trump swore to provide support, saying, "We will be assisting."

The pledge comes as the administration faces its first major natural disaster test of Trump's second term, testing its leaner, more streamlined approach to foreign aid.

Moment of the 7.7 Magnitude powerful earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭 (28.03.2025) pic.twitter.com/KOLTBVS4ES

— Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) March 28, 2025

A sad event for Southeast Asia, the quake has brought attention to the conservative U.S. Congress's streamlining of policies of the Trump administration regarding overseas aid. 

Trump, along with major allies that include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and USAID senior official Jeremy Lewin, has cut overly large bureaucracies at the USAID since taking office on January 20. By getting rid of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the aim is to give first priority to American interests, eliminate waste, and channel resources to their most productive use. Rubio and Lewin declared the termination of almost all remaining USAID personnel and the merging of surviving programs into the State Department on Friday, a shift conservatives applaud as a much-needed correction of years of uncontrolled spending.

Defending the government's preparedness, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said USAID has a core group of disaster professionals who are capable of providing fast support, saying, “These expert squads in an emergency save lives by offering food, clean drinking water, and other basic needs." 

The administration will adjust its response according to local demands as well as field evidence. In view of the cuts, so far our capacity to carry out those tasks has not suffered any impact.

The U.S. is prepared to provide aid after a powerful earthquake killed more than 140 people in Myanmar on Friday, according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. https://t.co/Kv3yDwyHw2 pic.twitter.com/oq7quAeHQe

— The National Desk (@TND) March 29, 2025

Critics, the converse of the audience, are quick to attack. Sarah Charles, a former USAID official under President Biden, said the cuts have left the U.S. in shambles. 

"Not nearly enough has been done to fix it," she said, mentioning past attempts, like the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, where USAID-supported teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax Counties raced to assist survivors inside 24 hours. With regards to specific transportation, Charles contended that staff and contract cuts have paralyzed these capabilities.

Conservatives argue that the previous system was a chaos of waste, with many redundant positions and handouts that more often than not supported corrupt governments instead of aiding those in need. According to their view, the approach taken by the Trump administration trims the fat but preserves vital functions. 

Indeed, several agreements with the United Nations and other international organizations have been canceled, but that was intentional. After all, when straight, targeted assistance will suffice, why would one channel American taxpayer dollars through intermediaries?

The actual circumstances in Thailand and Myanmar will put these ideas to the test. Rescue works need quickness, organization, and manpower—regions where Charles says the United States normally excels, but is nowadays lacking. Still, followers of Trump view this as an occasion to show that a smaller administration would still perform. The partnership of the government with private-sector entrepreneurs like Elon Musk's group points to a change from administrative sprawl to pragmatic, outcome-oriented answers.

Trump's pledge of support is meaningful as Southeast Asia suffers from this disaster. The issue is whether his vision of a reformed, America-first aid system can be up to the task, or if the critics' cautions of a hollowed-out response will prove to be true. The President is currently concentrating on helping where it matters, free from the extra past baggage.