The United States has frozen its foreign aid, with the exception of that provided to Egypt and Israel, while it undergoes a complete review to see if it is consistent with Donald Trump’s policies. Emergency food aid is not affected by the measure.
“No new funds will be committed […] until each new attribution or proposed extension has been examined and approved” in accordance with the program of the American president, indicates an internal circular from the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, addressed to the staff of the State Department and consulted Friday by AFP.
Emergency food aid is exempt, which should benefit the Gaza Strip in particular after the ceasefire concluded between Israel and Palestinian Hamas. But the circular makes no mention of Ukraine, which benefited under the former US government from billions of dollars in aid to defend itself against Russia.
The circular stems from the decree signed by US President Donald Trump on Monday, the day of his inauguration, ordering a freeze on US foreign aid for 90 days.
“American interests”
Israel and Egypt are among the largest beneficiaries of US military aid with billions of dollars in arms. In his note, the Secretary of State argues that it is impossible for the new government to assess whether existing foreign aid commitments “are not duplicative, are effective and are consistent with the foreign policy of the President Trump.”
The latter assured in his decree Monday that “the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and, in many cases, are contrary to American values.”
He did not cite examples, but worked, for example, upon his return to the White House to dismantle federal programs to promote diversity in the United States.
Concretely, the presidential decree orders a 90-day pause in United States aid in order to evaluate “the effectiveness of the programs and their consistency with United States foreign policy.” Mr. Rubio’s circular authorizes the State Department to make other exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
-“Vital consequences”
Marco Rubio, who is the only member of the new Trump government to take office on Tuesday, sent other internal notes in the same vein, notably freezing the reception of refugees awaiting asylum in the United States.
He said he wanted to implement Donald Trump’s slogan “America first”, stressing that every dollar spent by the United States must make the United States of America “safer”, “stronger” and “more prosperous”.
According to official figures, the United States is the main provider of humanitarian and development aid in the world, devoting around 1% of the federal government’s budget, which former Democratic President Joe Biden welcomed.
The latter had requested for the 2025 budget year (October to September) some $42.8 billion to finance foreign aid managed by the State Department and the American Development Agency (USAID).
Several NGOs have expressed alarm at the impact of this freeze, particularly concerning humanitarian and development aid. “The suspension of humanitarian aid casts uncertainty over all US humanitarian and development programs, preventing aid professionals from planning or acting effectively,” lamented the head of the Oxfam America, Abby Maxman, in a statement.
According to her, this pause “could have life-saving consequences for countless children and families in crisis.”
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
