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Secretary of State Marco Rubio froze all US foreign aid funded by or through State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to reconsider if it puts the money “America First.”
On Sunday, the State Department released a statement on the decline in line with President Donald Trump’s executive orders to review and coordinate foreign aid from the US.
“Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order Reassessing and Realigning the United States, the Secretary, the Secretary [Marco] Rubio paused all U.S. foreign aid funded by either the State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for review, “THE DRAFT. American foreign policy according to the America First agenda. President Trump has made it clear that the United States will no longer blindly reject money without return for the American people.”
The statement continued, saying that reviewing and reconciling foreign aid on behalf of taxpayers is a “moral imperative,” adding that Rubio is proud to protect American investment “with deliberate and prudent review” of how foreign aid money is spent abroad.
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The front of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters building is seen on September 15, 2014 in Washington, DC.
“The implementation of this executive order and the direction of the secretary furthers that mission,” the statement said. “As Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, ‘every dollar we spend, every program we fund and every policy we implement must be justified by answering three simple questions: Does it make America safer?’ Does it make America appear stronger? Is America stronger? makes America more advanced? “”
The announcement comes after the Trump administration ordered employees with USAID to stop providing them Foreign aid around the world or face “disciplinary action” for non-compliance.
Reuters reported that the Trump administration sent a heavily worded memo to more than 10,000 staff members at USAID on Saturday, offering a “stop” directive effective Friday that froze US foreign aid worldwide.
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President Donald Trump wants all Forriegn aid to put “America first.” (AP Photo/Evan VUCCI)
The wire service reviewed the memo and said it published expectations for the workforce on how to achieve that Trump’s goals to put “America first.”
“We have a responsibility to support the president in achieving his vision,” Ken Jackson, assistant administrator for management and resources, wrote in an internal memo, titled “Message and Workforce Expectations.”
“The president has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign aid for decades to come,” the memo added. Reuters reported that it had confirmed the authenticity of the memorandum with several sources.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has halted all US aid abroad funded by either the State Department or the US Agency for International Development (USAID). (AP Photo/Evan VUCCI)
Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign aid just hours after taking office to review whether the funding is in line with his foreign policy priorities.
On Friday, State Department issued a pause on worldwide aid.
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The US is the largest aid donor globally. During fiscal year 2023, the US extended $72 billion in aid. It also provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
