US suspended new funds for support programs except Israel and Egypt
The Trump administration-anti-HIV freeze new funding for the program and other health services, leaving major food programs.
The administration of the United States President Donald Trump has announced a freeze on almost all new funding for foreign aid programs, with exceptions to allies Israel and Egypt.
The order of the US State Department on Friday also includes exceptions to emergency food programs, but not health programs that supporters say that provide important, life -saving services.
With a memo, the newly married state’s Marco Rubio directed senior officials to “ensure that the maximum extent allowed by the law, no new obligation would be created for foreign aid”.
Human organizations immediately expressed alarm on the instructions, raising voice that it could contribute to global instability and loss of life.
“By suspending foreign development assistance, the Trump administration is threatening the lives and future of communities in crisis, and leaving the United States long -held bilateral approach to the United States for foreign aid, which regardless of people regardless of politics Supports, “AB Maxman, the head of Oxfam America said in a statement.
The temporary freeze is finalized for a period of at least three months. In the first 85 days, Rubio is expected to take decisions to continue, revise, or end the programs, according to the memo, according to the memo.
Funding is the President’s emergency plan for AIDS relief in health programs expected to experience freeze, also known as Pepper.
Established in 2003 under the administration of George W. Bush, Peppar enjoyed widespread bipartisan support for two decades, until the Congress missed a time limit to renew its funding in 2023. Its funding received a year expansion through March 2025, but it is ready to end within the three -month window.
Experts estimate that Pepfar has helped save 25 million lives since the first started.
The freeze is aid for Israel and Egypt, which is left untouched by freeze, two of the largest recipients of American military aid.
Both countries have faced an investigation into their human rights records and called to take advantage of American aid in exchange for adequate reforms.
Friday’s memorandum “required to administer exemption for Israel and Egypt for administrative expenses, including foreign military financing and salary, to administer foreign military financing”.
There was no indication of uniform exemption for Ukraine, which depends largely on the aid of American weapons in its fight to overcome a Russian full -scale invasion initiated in February 2022.
The US spent more than $ 60bn in foreign aid in 2023, more than any other country.
But this amount is about 1 percent of the US government spending. Following Friday’s memorandum, some aid projects worldwide received work-store orders.
“This is Lunsi,” said Jeremy Koninik, former US agency for International Development (USAID) officer.
He shared his displeasure with the Reuters News Agency. “It will kill people. I mean, if applied as written in that cable … a lot of people will die. ,
