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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Trump suspends US foreign aid

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US President Donald Trump has suspended all US foreign aid programs for 90 days to assess their compliance with his foreign policy, according to an order published on Monday on the White House website.

“No further United States foreign assistance may be disbursed in a manner that is not fully consistent with the president's foreign policy,” the document emphasized.

In Trump's assessment, the current method of providing this aid was not conducive to “world peace” because it “promoted in foreign countries ideas directly contrary to harmonious and stable internal and (international) relations.”

“Trump has long opposed foreign aid.”

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The person responsible for reviewing foreign aid will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who may waive the 90-day suspension in some cases.

Marco RubioREUTERS POOL

“Trump has long opposed foreign aid, despite the fact that it makes up about 1% of the federal budget — barring extraordinary circumstances, such as the billions of dollars in weapons delivered to Ukraine,” the Associated Press noted.

The main institutions in USA responsible for providing foreign aid are the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

As AP recalled, the latest calculations regarding aid provided by the administration Joe Biden indicate that in fiscal year 2023, Washington allocated $68 billion for overseas programs – from disaster relief to health and pro-democracy initiatives in 204 countries and regions.

Who gets the most help?

They are among the largest recipients of American aid Israel ($3.3 billion per year), Egypt ($1.5 billion per year) i Jordan ($1.7 billion per year). According to AP, however, they will not be affected by the current regulation because they are part of long-term packages and the issues related to providing support to these countries are, in some cases, regulated by treaties.

Global agencies note that it is not clear what funds will be withheld because funds for many programs have already been allocated by Congress and should be disbursed.

During his first term in the White House, from 2017-21, Trump sought to reduce foreign aid spending by suspending payments to various agencies UN – AP recalled.

Main photo source: Shutterstock



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