The executive order signed at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s term to suspend U.S. foreign aid sent shockwaves across the world.
This is because many programs funded by the U.S. government around the globe were suspended. The decision was said to remain in effect for 90 days while projects were reassessed.
However, it seems that concerns had some success, as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio partially revoked the Executive Order on the Review and Restoration of U.S. Foreign Aid on Tuesday, allowing life-saving humanitarian aid to continue during the 90-day pause in foreign assistance, according to Reuters.
“Implementers of existing life-saving humanitarian programs should continue or resume operations if they were halted,” Rubio stated in the decision published on the State Department’s website.
This new decision, however, comes with some guidelines, and Rubio stated that during this period, no new contracts would be signed.
The decision clarified that life-saving humanitarian aid includes essential life-saving medical services, food, shelter, and livelihood assistance, as well as necessary supplies and administrative costs related to providing such aid.
It was also mentioned that this new decision does not apply to activities involving abortion, family planning, conferences, various administrative costs, gender ideology programs or DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, transgender operations, or other non-life-saving assistance.
“Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) may only be used to support activities under section 1(a) and for the repatriation of third-country nationals to their country of origin or a safe third country,” the decision signed by Secretary of State Rubio stated.
The freezing of foreign aid puts billions of dollars in assistance at risk. The United States, the largest single donor in the world, provided $72 billion in foreign aid in fiscal year 2023.
The scope of Trump’s executive order initially caused confusion among U.S. lawmakers, aid organizations, and the United Nations. The State Department sought to clarify the policy on Friday when it issued a cable instructing to “stop work” on all existing foreign aid and halt new assistance, according to a diplomatic cable first reported by Reuters.
On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the United States to consider additional exemptions to “ensure the continued provision of critical development and humanitarian activities.”
