Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, has mandated a pause on nearly all US foreign aid, with exceptions for Israel and Egypt, as detailed in an internal memo. This decision halts new awards or extensions of existing aid until consistent with President Trump's policies are established. The move is viewed as potentially impactful on assistance to Ukraine and could drive partners toward adversaries for funding. The review process is criticized by some as unlawful, suggesting it undermines US influence globally and disrupts foreign investment relationships.
The sweeping order appears to affect everything from development assistance to military aid including potentially to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden.
The state department memo said effective immediately, senior officials shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance until Rubio has made a decision after a review.
Trump's order is unlawful, argued a source familiar discussions in Congress on the move. Freezing these international investments will lead our international partners to seek other funding partners.
But the memo explicitly made exceptions for military assistance to Israel whose longstanding major arms packages from the US have expanded further since the Gaza war.
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