In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order halting and reevaluating all foreign development assistance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has authorised a series of waivers, including for emergency food aid and certain salaries. This decision comes after widespread criticism from global aid groups who expressed concern over the implications of the president’s directive, which has sent shockwaves through the international aid sector.
On Tuesday evening, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce issued a statement confirming that Rubio had approved exceptions for vital foreign aid, particularly emergency food assistance. The waivers also extend to salaries and administrative costs, including travel expenses for US direct-hire staff involved in ongoing programs abroad. The move provides some relief, ensuring that critical assistance continues to flow to those in dire need.
The announcement also clarified that the halt does not apply to foreign military financing for key security partners such as Israel and Egypt, which have long-standing military and diplomatic ties with the United States. This carve-out has been a point of focus, as military aid is considered a cornerstone of US foreign policy in the Middle East and beyond.
The 90-day pause ordered by President Trump has ignited a major debate within the global aid community. Critics argue that the suspension of American foreign development assistance will exacerbate existing crises in countries that rely on US funding for a range of projects. The US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is responsible for much of the country’s international assistance, managed over $40 billion in aid during the 2023 fiscal year, funding initiatives in education, health, infrastructure, and humanitarian relief across the world.
President Trump’s stance on foreign aid has long been characterised by a focus on the “America First” agenda, emphasising the need for a return on investment for the US. In her statement, Bruce reiterated the president’s position, asserting that the United States would no longer “blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.” The Secretary of State emphasised the administration’s commitment to “a deliberate and judicious review” of how US tax dollars are spent on foreign aid.
While Rubio’s waivers have provided some clarity, questions remain about the fate of billions of dollars earmarked for Ukraine and other strategic partners like Taiwan. The State Department’s statement on Tuesday evening did not address the status of these critical assistance programmes. However, it did highlight specific examples of what it deemed “egregious funding,” such as more than $100 million allocated to the International Medical Corps in Gaza, $6 million for a democracy and governance contract in an undisclosed location, and over $600,000 for family planning initiatives in Latin America.
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The delay in funding has raised alarms among humanitarian organisations, with the World Health Organization (WHO) expressing “deep concern” over the potential impact on HIV/AIDS programmes in low-and-middle-income countries. The WHO warned that a cessation of HIV-related funding could place millions of lives at risk, undoing decades of progress in the fight against the disease.
“A funding halt for HIV programs can put people living with HIV at immediate increased risk of illness and death and undermine efforts to prevent transmission,” the WHO said in a statement. “If prolonged, such measures could lead to rises in new infections and deaths, taking the world back to the 1980s and 1990s, when millions died from HIV annually.”
The funding freeze is not the only significant change in US foreign policy under President Trump. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the US to withdraw from the World Health Organization, a decision that further strained relations with international health and humanitarian bodies. As the US navigates its approach to foreign aid, the long-term consequences for global health, development, and security remain uncertain.
As 2025 unfolds, global observers will be watching closely to see how the Trump administration’s policies on foreign aid evolve and whether further waivers will be granted to ensure the continuity of vital programmes.
