The US State Department has frozen nearly all foreign assistance worldwide, effective immediately, following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Monday. The order places a 90-day hold on such assistance.
According to CNN, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts on Friday detailing the move, which threatens billions of dollars in funding from the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for global programs.
Foreign assistance has long been a bone of contention for Republicans in Congress and Trump administration officials, though the funding represents a small portion of the overall US budget. The broad scope of the executive order and the subsequent cable has left humanitarian officials reeling.
The cable orders an immediate “stop work” directive on existing foreign assistance and halts new aid. It also states that in the coming month, the administration will establish criteria to assess whether the assistance aligns with President Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
“Decisions on whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs will be made following this review,” the cable stated, adding that the review should be completed within 85 days.
The State Department’s order includes a waiver for emergency food assistance and foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt.
The cable does not specifically mention other countries receiving foreign military financing, such as Ukraine or Taiwan.
