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Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all US foreign assistance funded by or through the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to review whether the money puts “America first.”
On Sunday, the State Department released a statement on adjusting President Donald Trump’s executive order to reassess and realign US foreign aid
“Consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order Reassessing and Realigning U.S. Foreign Assistance, Secretary (Marco) Rubio has paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to review it,” the statement said. . “He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda. President Trump has clearly stated that the US will no longer hand out money blindly with no return for the American people.”
The statement continued, saying that reviewing and aligning foreign assistance on behalf of taxpayers is a “moral imperative,” adding that Rubio is proud to protect America’s investment “with deliberate and prudent review ” of how money is spent on helping foreign countries. overseas
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The facade 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 Secretary’s direction further this mission,” the statement said. “As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we make must be justified by answering three simple questions: Does it make America safer?’ Does it make America stronger? does it make America more prosperous?'”
The announcement comes after the Trump administration ordered USAID employees to stop providing foreign aid around the world or face “disciplinary action” for non-compliance.
Reuters reported that the Trump administration sent a well-worded memo to more than 10,000 USAID staff on Saturday, offering a “stop work” directive beginning Friday that froze U.S. foreign aid to all the world
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President Donald Trump wants all foreign aid to put “America first.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The cable service reviewed the memo and said it laid out expectations for the workforce on how to achieve that Trump’s goals of putting “America first.”
“We have a responsibility to support the president in achieving his vision,” Ken Jackson, assistant administrator for management and resources, wrote in the internal memo, titled “Message and Expectation for the Workforce.”
“The president has given us a great opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come,” the memo added. Reuters reported that it confirmed the authenticity of the note with multiple sources.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all US foreign aid funded by or through the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid within hours of taking office, to review whether the funding was in line with his foreign policy priorities.
On Friday, the Department of State put a pause on worldwide aid.
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The United States is the world’s largest aid donor. In fiscal year 2023, the US dispersed $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.
