Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered a halt to virtually all U.S. foreign aid, with exceptions for funding to Israel and Egypt, according to an internal memo to U.S. State Department staff.
“Consistent with President Trump’s agenda, no new funds are obligated for new awards or new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension is reviewed and approved.” says the memo.
The sweeping order appears to be affecting everything from development aid to military aid. This potentially includes Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in arms under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, to try to repel Russian aggression.
But the memo comes as long-standing major arms packages from the United States to Israel, which has received generous U.S. defense funding since signing a peace treaty in 1979 and has received generous U.S. defense funding since the Gaza war, have expanded further. explicitly made an exception for military assistance.
Just hours after taking office on Monday, Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign development aid, pending a review of its efficiency and consistency with his foreign policy.
But the scope of the order was not immediately known, and given that the U.S. Congress sets the federal government's budget, it was unclear what funding could be cut. Trump's order is illegal, they argued, a familiar debate in Congress moving forward.
“Freezing these international investments would encourage international partners to seek other financing partners (perhaps competitors or enemies of the United States) to fill the void and increase U.S. influence to the extent that this illegal water hoarding continues.” They will drive them away,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
The State Department memo, effective immediately, said senior officials “assure, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that no new obligations for foreign assistance will be made until a determination is made after review.” ”.
For existing foreign assistance awards, a cease-and-desist order shall be issued immediately pending review of Rubio.
“It’s manufactured chaos,” said a former senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The organization must cease all activities, including all life-saving medical services, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, maternal and child health, all agricultural activities, all support for civil society organizations, and education.” officials said.
A USAID official, who requested anonymity, said the head of the project in Ukraine has been told to stop all work. Among the projects frozen is support for schools and health assistance such as emergency maternal care and childhood immunizations, officials said.
Following a review over the next 85 days, “a decision will be made whether to continue, modify or terminate the program” by Rubio. Until then, Rubio can approve waivers. According to the memo, Rubio issued a waiver for emergency food assistance.
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This comes amid a surge in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian militants began on Sunday, sparking several hunger crises around the world, including in Sudan.
The State Department memo also states that waivers have previously been approved by Rubio for “Israel and Egypt's foreign military financing and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to manage foreign military financing.” Ta.
Israel receives about $3.3 billion in foreign military funding each year, while Egypt receives about $1.3 billion.
Other states identified for such funding in 2025 include Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Djibouti, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Israel, Includes Ecuador, Israel, Egypt, and Jordan upon request of Egypt and Jordan. From the Biden administration.
The request also stated that foreign military financing “seeks to de-destabilize the Lebanese military and strengthen its ability to counter Iranian influence.”
Lebanese forces are currently about to deploy to the south of the country as Israeli forces withdraw under a ceasefire deal that calls for Iranian-backed Hezbollah weapons and fighters to be removed from the area.
