U.S. Orders Sweeping Freeze on Foreign Assistance, Exempting Only Emergency Food Programs and Military Aid to Israel and Egypt
The U.S. State Department has ordered a freeze on new funding for almost all foreign assistance, making exceptions only for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt. The move has threatened a quick halt to many U.S.-funded projects globally, supporting health, education, development, job training, anti-corruption, security assistance, and other efforts.
The State Department, under the leadership of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has exempted emergency food programs, such as those helping to feed millions in a widening famine in warring Sudan. However, humanitarian officials have expressed disappointment that the freeze does not include specific exemptions for life-saving health programs, such as clinics and immunization programs.
The sweeping freeze, which is expected to last at least three months, affects billions of dollars in U.S.-funded projects globally, including a globally acclaimed anti-HIV program, the President’s Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved 25 million lives since its inception.
Aid organizations have reacted with alarm, with some interpreting the directive as an immediate stop-work order for U.S.-funded aid work globally. Many organizations have begun receiving their first stop-work orders under the freeze, with some ceasing operations immediately to avoid incurring further costs.
The freeze is part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to crack down on U.S. aid programs, and is expected to be enforced with a review of all foreign assistance to ensure that it is aligned with the President’s foreign policy agenda. Within the next month, standards for the review will be set, and within three months, a report will be produced for Secretary Rubio to make recommendations to the President.
Critics have voiced concerns that the freeze could have life-or-death consequences for children and families around the world, and has abandoned the United States’ long-held bipartisan approach to foreign assistance.
