The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced a freeze on almost all new funding for foreign assistance programmes, with exceptions for allies Israel and Egypt.
The order from the US State Department on Friday also includes exceptions for emergency food programmes, but not health programmes that supporters say provide vital, life-saving services.
In an accompanying memo, newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed senior officials to “ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance”.
Humanitarian organisations immediately expressed alarm at the directive, voicing fears that it could contribute to global instability and loss of life.
“By suspending foreign development assistance, the Trump administration is threatening the lives and futures of communities in crisis, and abandoning the United States’ long-held bipartisan approach to foreign assistance which supports people based on need, regardless of politics,” Abby Maxman, head of Oxfam America, said in a statement.
The temporary freeze is slated to last for a period of at least three months. In the first 85 days, Rubio is expected to make “decisions whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs”, according to the memo.
Among the health programmes expected to experience a funding freeze is the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, also known as PEPFAR.
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate
