State Department Freezes Foreign Aid Spending

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a "stop-work" order on Friday affecting all existing foreign assistance and all new aid, an action that appeared to go further than President Trump's executive order issued this week and stunned the State Department's staff. The only exceptions are for emergency food and military financing for Israel and Egypt, per Reuters, which has seen the order. But the document is vague in places and could leave room for interpretation by others, Politico reports. The order could end the funding of global projects for health, education, development, job training, anti-corruption efforts, and security assistance.

"State just totally went nuclear on foreign assistance," said a State Department official. The order, which was cabled to US embassies around the world, implements Trump's order—though that called for a 90-day pause to allow Rubio to do a review. Trump did not specify whether his order applied to aid already appropriated. Rubio's order Friday especially disappointed humanitarian officials, per the AP, by not including specific exemptions for life-saving health programs, such as clinics and immunization programs. The freeze seems to apply to the anti-HIV program started by President George W. Bush that is credited with saving 25 million lives, including those of 5.5 million children.

Aid to Ukraine did not appear to be exempt, either. Congress has approved about $3.85 billion for future arms shipments to Ukraine, but Trump could decide not to spend it. A USAID official told Reuters that staff members handling projects in Ukraine have been told to stop, freezing programs including support to schools and health assistance such as emergency maternal care and childhood vaccinations. US foreign aid totaled about $60 billion in 2023, per the AP, roughly 1% of the federal budget. (More Marco Rubio stories.)