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US orders suspension of international aid

2025-01-25 12:18:43Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
US orders suspension of international aid
Marco Rubio

The US State Department on January 24 ordered a freeze on new funding for nearly all US international assistance programs as part of President Donald Trump's effort to align these programs with his foreign policy goals.

These programs are implemented primarily through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID. USAID has invested more than $1 billion in Kosovo's development since 1999.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a message to US embassies around the world clarifying the implementation of an executive order that Trump signed on January 20, which stated that "no further United States international assistance will be distributed in a manner that is not fully consistent with the foreign policy of the President of the United States."

According to Trump's executive order, current US aid "is not consistent with American interests and, in many cases, is contrary to American values."

It adds that aid programs “serve to destabilize world peace” by promoting ideas that conflict with stable relations within the countries they serve and with relations between those countries and others.

The executive order calls for a 90-day suspension of U.S. international development assistance to assess effectiveness and “consistent with United States foreign policy.” The order affects new funding allocations to foreign countries, NGOs, international organizations, and contractors, pending the completion of program reviews.

Trump and other Republicans had vowed to take action against US international aid programs, and Rubio's memo justified the freeze by saying it was impossible for the new administration to assess whether existing international aid commitments "are not duplicative, are effective, and are consistent with President Trump's foreign policy."

The new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Brian Mast (R-Florida), promised this week that Republicans would scrutinize “every dollar and every diplomat” in the State Department budget to ensure it met their standards for strict necessity.

Mast said in a statement after Rubio's confirmation as secretary of State that he intends to work with Rubio to "eliminate" waste at the State Department.

Democrats' reaction

The top member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee reacted to the decision by saying it "undermines American leadership and credibility" around the world.

“United States international assistance programs promote stability in other countries to help prevent crises that could spread directly to our doorstep,” said Representative Gregory Meeks (D-New York) in a letter to Rubio.

"International assistance is not an extended hand; it is a strategic investment in our future that is vital to U.S. global leadership and a more sustainable world."

According to him, American international assistance directly serves US interests and demonstrates the country's reliability towards allies, partners, and vulnerable people who rely on American assistance for survival.

By suspending current programs and blocking new ones, the United States would “leave this space” for its adversaries, the letter said, which was also signed by Representative Lois Frankel (D-Florida), the ranking member of the House Budget Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the State Department, and Related Programs.

"For years, Republicans in Congress have criticized what they see as a lack of US credibility in relations with countries like China, Russia and Iran. Now our credibility is at risk and it looks like we will retreat from American commitments to our partners around the world," Meeks and Frankel said./rel


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