US Freezes Almost All Foreign Aid Funding, Exempts Israel Turkey

The United States announced a 90-day freeze on new funding for nearly all US foreign assistance programs in several countries, making exceptions only for emergency food and military funding for Israel and Egypt.

Shortly after President Trump’s inauguration, an internal directive was issued by secretary of state Marco Rubio, underscoring the “America First” approach and restricting foreign aid to countries across the world, AFP reported.

“No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved,” the internal memo obtained by AFP stated.

The order by the US, the world’s biggest donor, appears to impact resources ranging from development assistance to military aid, including to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under the Joe Biden administration. 

The directive will also put a pause on the US funding for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Relief Plan for AIDS Relief), the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative for the purchase of anti-retroviral drugs for the treatment of the disease in developing countries, particularly in Africa. The initiative was launched under President George W. Bush in 2003 to save millions of lives from the disease.

Interestingly, the memo made explicit exceptions for military assistance to Israel and Egypt. Israel’s US arms support has increased significantly since the Gaza conflict. Cairo, on the other hand, has received extensive US defense funding assistance since the signing of a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

Another exception was made for US contributions to emergency food assistance in countries struggling with humanitarian crises, including Sudan and Syria. The memo also called for an internal review of all foreign aid within 85 days. 

However, the exact scope of this memo remains unclear, as the US Congress controls the allocations of the federal budget.

In 2023, the US provided over $64 billion in overseas development assistance, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Meanwhile, the freeze has drawn criticism from multiple organizations for failing to secure life-saving health initiatives, including the fight against HIV/AIDS globally and immunization efforts.