Foreign assistance programs across multiple regions have been halted following a White House directive from President Trump. The State Department's order, approved by Secretary Marco Rubio, suspends new obligations and imposes stop-work orders on existing projects pending an 85-day review, sparking global concern over aid interruptions.
According to a memo reviewed by Reuters, the U.S. State Department carried out President Trump's directive on Friday by issuing a "stop-work" order for all existing foreign assistance and pausing future funding.
The Department of State's Foreign Aid office drafted the cable and Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved it. It noted that Israel and Egypt have been granted waivers for military financing. There was no mention of any other nations in the cable.
Trump put a 90-day hold on foreign development aid shortly after assuming office on Monday, in order to assess its efficacy and conformity with his foreign policy.
Given that the federal government budget is controlled by the U.S. Congress, it was unclear what funds could be reduced and the extent of the directive was not immediately apparent.
A source familiar with the deliberations in Congress on the move claimed that Trump's order is illegal.
"Freezing these international investments will lead our international partners to seek other funding partners - likely U.S. competitors and adversaries - to fill this hole and displace the United States' influence the longer this unlawful impoundment continues," the anonymous source said.
As of right now, senior officials are to make sure that no new obligations are made for foreign assistance to the greatest extent allowed by law, according to the State Department document. This is until Rubio makes a decision after reviewing the matter.
It states that stop-work orders should be issued immediately for existing foreign assistance awards until Rubio reviews them.
An anonymous former senior official with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) described it as controlled anarchy.
"Organizations will have to stop all activities, so all lifesaving health services, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, maternal and child health, all agriculture work, all support of civil society organizations, education," the official announced.
The officers in charge of the initiatives in Ukraine have been instructed to halt all operations, according to an anonymous USAID official. According to the source, certain projects have been put on ice, including those that provide funding for schools and health services such as emergency maternity care and childhood vaccines.
After reviewing all programs over the next 85 days, Rubio will decide whether to keep them, make changes to them, or end them. Waivers can be approved by Rubio till then.
The letter states that Rubio has waived the application fee for emergency food stamps. In light of the recent ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which started on Sunday, and numerous other global food crises, including one in Sudan, a flood of humanitarian aid has been directed towards the Gaza Strip.
According to the State Department memo, Rubio has already authorized waivers for administrative costs, including wages, associated with overseeing foreign military financing, as well as for Israeli and Egyptian military spending abroad.
Foreign military funding for Israel is around $3.3 billion per year, whereas Egypt receives around $1.3 billion.
According to a request made to Congress by the administration of former President Joe Biden, additional states set to receive such funding in 2025 include: Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Djibouti, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Israel, Egypt, Israel, and Jordan.
A secondary goal of the requested foreign military aid is to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces so they can better combat Iranian meddling and stabilize the country.
As part of a ceasefire agreement, the Israeli forces are pulling out of the south of the country, and the Lebanese military is attempting to move into the area. The pact also calls for the removal of Hezbollah militants and weapons backed by Iran.
