The State Department has issued an order to freeze new funding for most U.S. foreign assistance programs, with exceptions for emergency food aid and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
The big picture: This freeze threatens to halt billions of dollars in U.S.-funded projects across the globe, affecting critical areas such as health, education, and humanitarian aid.
- Many aid programs could face immediate stop-work orders, potentially disrupting their operations and leading to life or death consequences for vulnerable populations.
- While emergency food programs are exempted from the funding freeze, life-saving health programs like clinics and immunization efforts are not specifically exempted, causing disappointment among humanitarian officials.
- Notably, the President’s Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a globally acclaimed anti-HIV program credited with saving millions of lives, is included in the spending freeze.
Go deeper: While military assistance to allies Israel and Egypt is exempted from the freeze, there are concerns about the potential impact on vital U.S. military assistance to Ukraine.
- The Biden administration had previously pushed military aid to Ukraine, and there is still a significant amount of congressionally authorized funding for future arms shipments to Ukraine, currently subject to Trump’s decision.
Zoom out: The freeze is part of a broader commitment from Trump and Republicans to crack down on U.S. aid programs, aiming to ensure that appropriations are not duplicated and are consistent with President Trump’s foreign policy.
- The State Department has laid out a timeline for a review of all foreign assistance to align with the president’s foreign policy agenda, with a completion deadline of three months.