♪♪ >> Cathy: ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE STATE DEPARTMENT FOLLOWED THROUGH ON THEIR REVIEW OF THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, KNOWN AS USAID.

NEARLY 10,000 GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS WORTH $60 BILLION IN HUMANITARIAN WORK ABROAD WERE ABRUPTLY CANCELLED.

ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS CAUGHT UP IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONTRACT CANCELLATION IS ALIGHT, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ONCE SOLELY BASED IN MINNESOTA THAT CONTINUES TO HAVE A HUB RIGHT HERE.

ALIGHT PROVIDES FOOD, MEDICINE AND, SERVICES FOR REFUGEES AROUND THE WORLD.

KATHERINE BLOOM O'CONNELL IS CHIEF OF STAFF FOR ALIGHT.

BASED HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES.

WOW, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT'S BEEN, THE PAST 30 DAYS OR SO.

SO TELL FOLKS WHAT ALIGHT DOES FOR PEOPLE IN SOMALIA AND SUDAN AND THOSE AREAS OF THE WORLD.

>> SO I LIKE TO THINK OF ALIGHT HISTORICALLY AS SORT OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE, ONE, THEY'RE AN EXTENSION OF GOVERNMENT, THEY PROVIDE SERVICES LIKE HEALTH CARE, VERY CRITICAL LIFESAVING WORK IN AREAS THAT ARE HISTORICALLY VERY TOUGH TO GET INTO, RIGHT?

YOU'RE LOOKING AT FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING WITH DIFFICULT GOVERNMENTS, WORKING IN INCREDIBLY FRAGILE CIRCUMSTANCES AND IN CASES WHERE OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT TURN AWAY, I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES TO BE PEOPLE WHO RUSH RIGHT INTO THE FIRE.

>> Cathy: AND THESE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN FEEDING KIDS AND OFFERING HEALTH CARE TO INDIVIDUALS?

>> YEAH, SO OUR CUSTOMERS HISTORICALLY ARE FOLKS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED DISPLACEMENT THROUGH A FEW AVENUES, ONE BEING SORT OF NATURAL DISASTERS, ONGOING CONFLICT, WHICH IS A HUGE, HUGE SEGMENT OF OUR WORK, OR PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT A REFUGEE THEY THINK ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO'S MAYBE BEEN DISPLACED FOR A VERY TEMPORARY AMOUNT OF TIME WHEN IN REALITY YOU COULD BE LOOKING AT 15 YEARS OF HOLDING REFUGEE STATUS, WHICH IS SOMETHING NO ONE WANTS AND MANY PEOPLE FACE.

>> Eric: DO CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS AND STATES WHERE YOU WORK, COUNTRY WHERE'S YOU WORK DO THEY PREVENT YOU CONSIDER GETTING AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU WANT INTO THE FIELD?

OR YOU'VE GOT WAYS TO DO THAT?

>> YOU KNOW, A VERY TALENTED ACCOMPLISHED TEAM THAT WORKS VERY, ERY THOUGHTFULLY ALONGSIDE GOVERNMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SERVICES ARE REACHING THE PEOPLE THAT NEED THEM.

>> Cathy: SO NOW THAT THE AID HAS BEEN, NOW THAT THE MONEY HAS BEEN CUT OFF, WHAT HAPPENS TO LIGHT AND TO THE FOLKS YOU'RE HELPING?

>> THAT IS A TREMENDOUS QUESTION AND IT IS ONE THAT WE ARE WORKING BY THE HOUR TO ANSWER.

I THINK THE ANSWER HERE IS THAT THERE'S NO OTHER WAY OF SAYING IT, PEOPLE WILL DIE.

PEOPLE ARE DYING.

SERVICES ARE BEING CUT OFF.

I THINK YOU LOOK AT AN AREA LIKE SUDAN WHICH WAS ONE OF OUR LARGEST PROGRAMS, IN MANY CASES, WE WERE THE ONLY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR MILES AND MILES AND MILES.

AND YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE OUR STABILIZATION CENTERS, THERE ARE SIX OF THEM THAT HAVE SINCE HAD TO STOP OPERATIONS.

WE ARE FIGHTING BY THE HOUR TO CONTINUE THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH THEM, BUT THEY ARE NO LONGER FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THESE STABILIZATION CENTERS WORK WITH KIDS THAT ARE HISTORICALLY UNDER THE AGE OF SIX AND THEY NEED 24-HOUR NUTRITIONAL CARE, WE CAN SERVE UP TO 30 CHILDREN AT A TIME AND IF SERVICES ARE REMOVED FOR EVEN SIX HOURS, THEY DON'T MAKE IT.

>> Eric: UNICEF, UNITED NATIONS, ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES AWAY MONEY AWAY FROM CONGRESS AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION >> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ENJOYED FUNDING FROM THEM IN THE PAST BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT ALL FALLS UNDER THIS BIG UMBRELLA OF GOVERNMENT BASED FUNDING O YOU'RE LOOKING UPWARDS $21 MILLION OF COMMITMENT FUNDS THAT ARE NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE TO US.

>> Cathy: KATHERINE, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WATCHING TONIGHT WHO ARE PERFECTLY FINE WITH THIS AID BEING CUT OFF.

>> MM-HMM.

>> Cathy: AND THEY SAY, LOOK, THESE ARE COUNTRIES THAT SHOULD HELP THEIR OWN PEOPLE, WHY SHOULD THE UNITED STATES BE THE ENTITY TO HELP?

WHAT'S YOUR ARGUMENT?

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

>> MY ARGUMENT, FIRST OF ALL, COMES FROM MY PLACE AS A HUMANITARIAN, BUT ALSO AS SOMEBODY WHO BELIEVES FIERCELY IN SOFT POWER.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT BY AND LARGE HAS ENJOYED A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

IT'S ONLY BEEN IN RECENT WEEKS THAT THERE HAS BEEN A CHANGE IN THE NARRATIVE, SHIFT IN THE TIDES, AND WHAT WE ARE FINDING IS THAT OVERWHELMINGLY SOFT POWER BENEFITS US ALL, AND IN MANY CASES, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE UNTIL THERE IS AN ABSENCE OF IT.

>> Eric: AND SO THE UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES AND SO IT'S HARD TO SAY WHAT THE NEXT STEPS WILL BE I SUPPOSE.

>> YEAH.

I MEAN, RIGHT NOW, BRINGING IT HOME TO MINNESOTA, WE HAVE ENJOYED SO MUCH SUPPORT FROM OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

WE HAVE ABOUT 40 STAFF WHO HAVE WORKED IN MINNESOTA, OF THOSE STAFF I HINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE ONLY 12 PEOPLE REMAINING FULL TIME WITH ALIGHT.

OTHERS HAVE BEEN REDUCED, THEIR HOURS HAVE BEEN REDUCED OR THEY HAVE BEEN LAID OFF OR FURLOUGHED.

AND SO FOR FOLKS THAT ARE SUPPORTING US I THINK THEY HAVE THREE THINGS, RIGHT, THEY HAVE THEIR TIME, THEY HAVE THEIR ATTENTION, AND THEY HAVE THEIR FINANCIAL RESOURCES.

AND ANY OF THOSE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO US RIGHT NOW.

>> Eric: WISH YOU GOOD LUCK.