Washington: The United States, under the Trump administration, has virtually halted all foreign aid including to Ukraine, making exceptions only for emergency food, and military funding for Israel and Egypt.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an internal memo shortly after President Donald Trump assumed office, emphasising an “America First” approach that significantly restricts foreign assistance, news agency AFP reported on Friday.
The memo stated: “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.”
This directive, broad in scope, impacts various forms of aid, including development and military assistance. Notably, it affects funding for Ukraine, which had previously received billions in weapons under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, to counter a Russian invasion.
The directive also suspends US funding for PEPFAR—an anti-HIV/AIDS initiative credited with saving approximately 26 million lives since its launch in 2003 under President George W. Bush. PEPFAR primarily provides anti-retroviral drugs to developing countries, particularly in Africa, and has historically enjoyed bipartisan support.
Exceptions to the freeze include military aid to Israel and Egypt. Israel continues to receive substantial arms packages, especially following the Gaza conflict, while Egypt remains a beneficiary of US defence funding as part of its peace treaty with Israel signed in 1979. Emergency food assistance following global crises, such as those in Sudan and Syria, is also exempted.
The memo permits the State Department to make case-by-case exceptions and allocate temporary funding for administrative expenses, including staff salaries. An internal review of all foreign assistance programmes is mandated within 85 days.
