US Halts Nearly All Foreign Aid
The Facts
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive to staff to halt nearly all existing foreign assistance programs and paused new disbursements of aid, according to an internal memo acquired by the media on Friday.
It followed a similar executive order signed by Pres. Donald Trump on Monday that paused foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy aims.
However, Rubio's memo, issued to State Department staff and all diplomatic and consular posts, appeared to go further than the executive order, ordering "stop-work orders" on nearly all "existing foreign assistance awards," effective immediately.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
For years, the US has been the world's biggest donor, often providing money to countries and groups that don't align with American interests. For instance, the US gives billions to Afghanistan which ends up in the hands of the Taliban. Finally, under Trump, US dollars would only go to serve the American agenda.
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's move to halt foreign aid is both cruel and reckless. Not only will this diminish American influence, forcing allies to turn to US adversaries to fill the hole, it will also have a hugely detrimental impact on programs that tackle issues in global health, malnutrition, education and agriculture.
