The US State Department has frozen nearly all foreign assistance, with the exception of aid to Israel and Egypt, CNN reported.
On his first day in office, President Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance, pending a review of its effectiveness and alignment with his foreign policy objectives.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a cable to all US diplomatic posts on Friday outlining the new directive, which could impact billions of dollars in funding managed by the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for global programs.
The cable directs an immediate halt to all ongoing foreign assistance projects and suspends new aid. Over the next month, the administration will establish criteria to assess whether current aid programs align with President Trump’s foreign policy agenda.
“Decisions on whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs will be made following this review,” the cable states, adding that the review should be completed within 85 days.
The order from the State Department includes an exemption for emergency food assistance and for foreign military financing to Israel and Egypt. However, the cable does not specifically mention other countries that receive foreign military aid, such as Ukraine or Taiwan.
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