The US Department of State froze the funds for almost all its aid programs abroad, with the exception of the one for Israel and Egypt and the emergency food support.
The United States Department of State ordered Friday to freeze new funds for almost the entire help of the country abroad, making exceptions for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
The order threatens to quickly stop many of the billions of dollars in projects financed by the United States on health, education, development, labor training, fight against corruption, security and others in various parts of the world.
The United States provides more foreign help than any other country, with an amount of about 60,000 million dollars in 2023, or approximately 1 % of the United States budget.
The order of the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, cable to the United States embassies worldwide, specifically exempt emergency food programs, such as those that help feed millions in Sudan, where a famine is recorded in means of an armed conflict.
The cable details the execution of the executive order of freezing help that President Donald Trump signed on Monday.
But Friday's order especially disappointed humanitarian officials by not including specific exemptions for vital health programs, such as vaccination programs.
Some of the main aid organizations were interpreting the guideline as an order to immediately stop the help of the United States worldwide, said a former official of the United States Agency for International Development. Many would probably cease operations immediately not to incur more costs, said the official.
The official was not authorized to declare publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Suspending the financing “could have consequences of life or death” for children and families worldwide, said Abby Maxman, director of Oxfam America.
“By suspending foreign development assistance, the Trump government is threatening the lives and futures of communities in crisis, and leaving the old bipartisan posture of the United States towards foreign assistance that supports people based on need, regardless of the Politics, ”Maxman said in a statement.
In the United Nations, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said that “these are bilateral decisions; However, we hope that those nations that have the ability to generously finance development assistance. ”
Although Rubio's order exempt military assistance to Israel and Egypt from freezing, there was no indication of a similar exemption to allow the United States military assistance to Ukraine.
The Biden government increased military aid to Ukraine before leaving office due to doubts about whether Trump would continue with her. But there are still about 3,850 million dollars in funds authorized by Congress for future shipments of weapons to Ukraine and now it depends on Trump decide whether to spend them or not.
The generalized freezing is part of a Trump promise and other Republicans to take energetic measures against the help programs of the United States. The representative by Florida Brian Mast, president of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the House of Representatives, promised this week that the Republicans would question “every dollar and each diplomat” in the state department budget to ensure that he meets his standards of strictly necessary.
The freezing was necessary to ensure that “the assignments do not double, be effective and are in line with the foreign policy of President Trump,” says the global cable.
In the course of next month, it is expected to establish the standards for a review of all foreign assistance to ensure that it is “aligned with the foreign policy agenda of President Trump,” adds the cable. And within three months, the revision is expected to be completed throughout the government with a subsequent report that will occur so that Rubio makes recommendations to the President.