President Trump suspends US foreign aid programs for 90 days

2025-01-21 21:35:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all foreign assistance programs by the United States for 90 days in order to review and determine whether they are consistent with his policy objectives.

It is not clear which aid is affected by Monday's order, as for many programs the funds were provided by Congress and must be spent, if they have not already been spent.

The order, among many executive orders that Mr. Trump signed on his first day back in office, stated that "foreign aid and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases inconsistent with American values."

Consequently, Mr. Trump declared that "no more foreign aid will be given unless it is fully consistent with the foreign policy of the President of the United States."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing last week that “every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified by answering three simple questions: ‘Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’” he said.

The order signed by Mr. Trump leaves it up to Mr. Rubio or his designee to make such determinations, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development are the main agencies that oversee foreign aid.

Mr. Trump has long criticized foreign aid, despite the fact that such aid typically makes up about 1% of the federal budget, except in unusual circumstances such as the billions of dollars in weapons funds that have been given to Ukraine. Mr. Trump has been critical of the amount of aid that has been sent to Ukraine to help it strengthen its defenses against a large-scale Russian attack.

The latest official data on foreign aid in Mr. Biden's administration are from mid-December and the 2023 budget year. They show that $68 billion was earmarked for overseas programs ranging from disaster relief to health and pro-democracy initiatives in 204 countries and regions.

Some of the largest recipients of aid from the United States, Israel ($3.3 billion per year), Egypt ($1.5 billion per year), and Jordan ($1.7 billion per year) are unlikely to face dramatic reductions, as this aid is included in long-term packages dating back decades and in some cases governed by treaty obligations.

Funding for U.N. agencies, including peacekeeping, human rights and refugee agencies, has traditionally been a target of Republican administrations seeking to cut or cut funding. Mr. Trump's first administration acted to reduce foreign aid spending, suspending payments to various U.N. agencies, including the U.N. Population Fund and funding for the Palestinian Authority./VOA