# Lawfare Archive: Why Public Health is Critical to National Security

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lawfare-podcast-745203/lawfare-archive-why-public-health-is-critical-to-national-security
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lawfare-podcast-745203/lawfare-archive-why-public-health-is-critical-to-national-security.md
Podcast: [The Lawfare Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-lawfare-podcast-745203)
Published: 2026-05-24T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/lawfare/episodes/lawfare-archive-why-public-health-is-critical-to-national-se
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/60518a52f69aa815d2dba41c/e/6a107b1a4c45d20ee2a4d047/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-lawfare-podcast-745203/episodes/lawfare-archive-why-public-health-is-critical-to-national-security
Duration seconds: 3507

## Resource

From April 2, 2025: Atul Gawande is a surgeon and a public health expert. He's also the former head of global health at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency that the Trump administration has prioritized for dismantling since its first day in office. On today's episode, Executive Editor Natalie Orpett sat down with Gawande to discuss what USAID does, the consequences of destroying it, and why public health is so important to U.S. national security. Editor's Note:  This episode was recorded on March 27, 2025. The following day, the Trump administration announced that USAID would be dissolved by the end of this fiscal year.  To receive ad-free podcasts, become a  Lawfare  Material Supporter at  www.patreon.com/lawfare . You can also support  Lawfare  by making a one-time donation at  https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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