U.S. halt to foreign aid cripples programs worldwide – no arms for Ukraine

The Trump’s ‘Stop Order’ applies to most military and security assistance programs, including in Ukraine, Taiwan and Jordan. Much of that aid is disbursed by the State Department. Military aid to Israel and Egypt is exempted, as is emergency food assistance.

The sense of crisis among aid groups worldwide is surging, as American officials tell groups they must obey an almost universal stop-work order issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio after Mr. Trump’s directive, writes ‘The New York Times’.

The officials say the groups must freeze nearly all programs that have received any of the $70 billion of annual aid budget approved by Congress through bipartisan negotiations.

Uncertain of whether they can pay salaries or get any future funding, groups around the world said they are starting to lay off employees or furlough them. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of employees, many of whom live in the Washington area and rely on contract work with U.S. agencies, could lose their jobs. Some have already been laid off.

The State Department said the move was aimed at ensuring that all foreign aid programs “are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda.” The executive order halting foreign aid was the president’s first major foreign policy action, and many aid groups are only now understanding its broad scope. Foreign assistance money generally supports humanitarian, development and security programs, and it makes up less than 1 percent of the government budget.

The stop order applies to most military and security assistance programs, including in Ukraine, Taiwan and Jordan. Much of that aid is disbursed by the State Department. Military aid to Israel and Egypt is exempted, as is emergency food assistance.

Mr. Trump’s decision to halt foreign aid could cause long-term damage to U.S. strategic interests, critics of the action say. Policymakers from both parties have long regarded foreign aid as a potent form of American power, a way to increase U.S. influence overseas using a tiny budget compared with military spending. Many development programs support democracy, education and civil rights efforts.

Some former officials say a goal of the action could be to dismantle U.S.A.I.D. and move its work to the State Department — while keeping the total aid amount paltry. The Trump appointee at the State Department overseeing foreign aid is Pete Marocco, a divisive figure in the first Trump administration who worked at the Pentagon, State Department and U.S.A.I.D. At the aid agency, employees filed a 13-page dissent memo, accusing him of mismanagement. Senior State Department officials can exercise authority over U.S.A.I.D., though the agency usually operates autonomously.

As the outcry from aid groups grew, Mr. Rubio issued a memo saying “life-saving humanitarian assistance” — including the provision of medicine, medical services, food and shelter — could continue temporarily, and that groups could apply for other waivers. None of that can include abortions, transgender surgeries or diversity work, he wrote.

Donald Trump's new press secretary Karoline Leavitt (photo) compared Joe Biden's administration to "drunken sailors" during her first briefing on Tuesday, 28 January.

In her debut press conference, the 27-year-old began by lauding Trump’s first week as historic, telling members of the press that the Republican has ended what she called the “four-year-long invasion of illegal aliens” under the previous administration.

Ms Leavitt claimed "This President did more in the first 100 hours than the previous president did in the first 100 days” and that the Biden administration spent money “like a drunken sailor.”

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