Trump administration resumes some suspended foreign aid programs

Author:
Liza Brovko
Date:

The U.S. State Department has ordered a freeze on new funding for nearly all U.S. foreign aid programs, immediately affecting dozens of areas. But now Secretary of State Marco Rubio has agreed to at least temporarily continue spending money on some humanitarian programs.

This is reported by the Associated Press, citing relevant documents.

Initially, Marco Rubio only exempted emergency food and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the suspended programs. He will now allow programs that provide medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and housing assistance to be maintained.

The United States is the worldʼs largest donor of foreign aid, although other countries allocate a larger share of their budgets. The US provides 4 out of every 10 dollars donated in humanitarian aid. Therefore, the suspension of such aid for the audit period (90 days) has become a crisis for millions of people, tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs.

After the audit, some programs will be reinstated and others will be closed permanently. US officials told the media that, in particular, programs that promote diversity, womenʼs reproductive rights and climate resilience will be permanently terminated.

The US State Department noted that this step is aimed at ensuring that all foreign assistance programs are effective and consistent with the US foreign policy — "America First."

Foreign aid money has typically gone to support humanitarian, development, and security programs. It has cost less than 1% of the U.S. government budget. Critics of Donald Trump’s decision to “pause aid” say it could cause long-term damage to U.S. strategic interests. Politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties see foreign aid as a way for the U.S. government to increase its influence abroad while spending a minimal amount of money (compared to military spending).

Some American politicians also fear that this pause will be exploited by China, which is trying to gain greater global influence through development projects.

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