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Executive Order 14169

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Executive Order 14169, titled Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, is an executive order signed by U.S. president Donald Trump hours after he took office 20 January 2025 ordering a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign development assistance programs in order to conduct a review.[1][2] On 24 January 2025, the U.S. State Department suspended all existing foreign aid programs, except for emergency food assistance and military aid to Egypt and Israel. New aid was also paused.[3] On 28 January, exemptions were expanded to cover "humanitarian programs that provide life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance".[4] The exemptions excluded "activities that involve abortions, family planning conferences, administrative costs [that are not reasonably used in life-saving aid], gender or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) ideology programs, transgender surgeries, or other non-life saving assistance."[5][6] Military assistance under the Department of Defense was not directly affected.[4]

Background

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The United States provides over 40% of the world's humanitarian aid,[7] and spends around 1% of its budget on foreign aid, including military aid.[8] Surveys suggest that Americans believe 20% of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid, and that 59% of Americans believe the government spends too much on foreign aid.[9]

Map of US foreign aid by country in 2022
US foreign aid by country 2022

Trump's first term as president was marked by efforts to cut foreign aid spending and bureaucracy.[9] His administration's first budget proposal in March 2017 included a promise to cut aid to developing countries by over a third.[10] Its May 2017 budget aimed to cut Foreign Operations spending — comprising foreign aid and contributions to international organizations — by 31%. It proposed a reduction of 44% in spending on humanitarian aid, 50% on education aid, and 71% on environmental aid.[9] Efforts to cut foreign aid received bipartisan opposition,[11] and the approved budget resulted in smaller decreases in overall bilateral and multilateral aid of 11% and 12%, respectively, while humanitarian and food aid was increased by 15%. Each of the administration's budget proposals included cuts in foreign aid, and Congress allocated more than requested for each.[9]

At the UN General Assembly in 2018, Trump gave a speech in which he said "Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends".[9]

In 2019 the administration launched the Growth in the Americas initiative, an infrastructure development program widely seen as a response to China's Belt and Road Initiative.[9] The administration oversaw the United States' first substantial provision of lethal military aid to Ukraine.[12] It also oversaw an increase in military aid to Israel.[13]

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump criticized the scale of US aid to Ukraine, and then-running-mate J.D. Vance criticized sending tax money "to China and to foreign regimes all over the world." Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, has criticized vaccination programs, a major component of health aid.[14]

Suspension of aid

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Hours after U.S. president Donald Trump took office 20 January 2025, he signed an executive order titled Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, ordering a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign development assistance programs in order to conduct a review.[1][2] The order said that: "United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values. They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries." The order gave the Secretary of State the ability to waive the suspension for "specific programs".[2]

On 24 January 2025, the U.S. State Department suspended all existing foreign aid programs, except for emergency food assistance and military aid to Egypt and Israel. New aid was also paused.[3]

On 28 January, exemptions were expanded to cover "humanitarian programs that provide life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance".[4] The exemptions did not include "activities that involve abortions, family planning conferences, administrative costs [that are not reasonably used in life-saving aid], gender or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) ideology programs, transgender surgeries, or other non-life saving assistance."[5][6]

On 29 January State Department issued a statement to justify the freeze by saying that programs "have little to no incentive to share programmatic-level details so long as the dollars continue to flow".[5][15] The statement claimed that the "pause and review of U.S. foreign aid is already paying dividends to our country and our people", such as by "rooting out waste", "blocking woke programs", and "exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests."[15]

Also on 29 January, following a similar claim by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt the day before, Trump claimed without evidence[16][17][18] that his administration "identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas", or approximately 1 billion condoms.[16] The claim was refuted by aid workers.[16][17][18]

The suspension of State Department aid affects international military financing, education and training, and military aid under the Department of Defense was not directly affected.[4]

Effects

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In the following days, over 50 senior officials in the U.S. Agency for International Development were placed on leave for attempting to circumvent the suspension.[19] CBS reported that officials placed on leave included "the assistant administrators and deputy assistant administrators heading up most of [USAID's] bureaus", as well as "USAID attorneys in the Office of the General Counsel, who are responsible for interpreting the executive orders for implementation", and that "hundreds of contractors had their employment furloughed or terminated".[20]

The International Rescue Committee told health care clinics in refugee camps in Thailand serving tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar to be shut by 31 January. Refugees were unable to access medicine or oxygen tanks. The IRC also previously helped with the camp's water distribution and garbage disposal systems.[21] Provision of hygiene kits, emergency shelters, and water support for tens of thousands of Gazans was temporarily suspended — water was not covered by the emergency food exemption. A humanitarian official told CNN that their organization had to pause vaccine distribution.[22] A Millennium Challenge Corporation project to modernize Liberia's energy sector and improve transportation was delayed indefinitely.[23]

On 25 January, hundreds of staff at the 40,000-person Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria were told to stop working, causing disruptions for water, sanitation, and security. On 27 January, Blumont, which coordinates aid work at Al-Hawl and Al-Roj, received a waiver allowing it to continue "critical operations" at the camps for two weeks.[5]

On 27 January, PEPFAR staff were unable to log on to their computer systems, affecting clinics that serve 20 million people with HIV. PEPFAR reportedly resumed operations after exemptions were expanded on 28 January.[5]

Despite the exemptions created on 28 January, many organizations remained unsure if they could resume work. On 28 January, Reuters reported that "In Johannesburg, a clinic treating HIV patients and several health centres for transgender people were shuttered on Tuesday and remained closed on Wednesday while organisations sought more guidance."[24]

Reactions

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On 27 January UN Secretary General António Guterres called for additional exemptions to be made to the freeze.[25] Smart News Liberia reported that Liberian president Joseph Boakai began "urgent diplomatic engagements with U.S. officials in an attempt to secure assurances that already approved funds will remain accessible."[23] On 28 January, Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said in a statement "We hope President Trump’s administration will provide new pathways for cushioning most vulnerable populations".[26]

Human Rights Watch said the aid suspension "is putting lives around the world at risk".[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Trump pauses US foreign development aid for 90 days pending review". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  2. ^ a b c "Reevaluating And Realigning United States Foreign Aid". The White House. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  3. ^ a b Pamuk, Humeyra; Psaledakis, Daphne (January 24, 2025). "US issues broad freeze on foreign aid after Trump orders review". Reuters. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "A US shutdown on foreign aid is hitting worldwide. Rubio adds more exemptions". AP News. 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  5. ^ a b c d e "How a US freeze has upended global aid". www.bbc.com. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  6. ^ a b "Emergency Humanitarian Waiver to Foreign Assistance Pause". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  7. ^ "US freeze on foreign aid funding is a 'death sentence' for people in need, NGOs warn". www.euronews.com. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  8. ^ "How much foreign aid does the US provide?". USAFacts. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Mateo, Luiza Rodrigues (2024-04-26). "America First: Foreign Aid in the Trump Administration". Contexto Internacional. 46 (1): e20220038. doi:10.1590/S0102-8529.20244601e20220038. ISSN 0102-8529.
  10. ^ Tamkin, Bryant Harris, Robbie Gramer, Emily (2025-01-30). "The End of Foreign Aid As We Know It". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2025-01-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "What "America First" means for US foreign aid". Brookings. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  12. ^ "US officials say lethal weapons headed to Ukraine". CNBC. 2017-12-23. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  13. ^ Cortellessa, Eric. "New US spending bill includes $200m increase in defense aid to Israel". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  14. ^ Matthews, Dylan (2024-11-18). "Trump didn't gut foreign aid last time. This time could be different". Vox. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  15. ^ a b "Prioritizing America's National Interests One Dollar at A Time". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  16. ^ a b c "FACT FOCUS: No evidence that $50 million was designated by the US to buy condoms for Hamas". AP News. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  17. ^ a b McCullough, Caleb; Ramirez Uribe, Maria. "The U.S. did not spend $50 million to fund condoms in Gaza". @politifact. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  18. ^ a b Kessler, Glen (29 January 2025). "$50 million for condoms in Gaza? There's no evidence for the White House claim". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  19. ^ "A US shutdown on foreign aid is hitting worldwide. Rubio adds more exemptions". AP News. 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  20. ^ Cook, Sara; Schick, Camilla; Gómez, Fin; Navarro, Aaron (2025-01-28). "Rubio foreign aid freeze leads to USAID staff suspensions and contractor terminations - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  21. ^ Wongcha-um, Panu; Naing, Shoon; Mcpherson, Poppy. "Myanmar refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals shuttered by US aid freeze". Reuters. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  22. ^ Hansler, Jennifer (2025-01-29). "As humanitarian officials warn people could die as a result of Trump's foreign aid halt, Rubio issues new waiver | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  23. ^ a b "TRUMP'S SUSPENSION OF U.S. AID PUTS LIBERIA'S DEVELOPMENT AT RISK, THREATENING KEY PROJECTS". Smart News Liberia. 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  24. ^ Rigby, Jennifer; Kumwenda-Mtambo, Olivia; Fick, Maggie (29 January 2025). "Despite waiver from U.S. on aid freeze, health and humanitarian groups uncertain if they can proceed". Reuters. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  25. ^ "UN chief expresses 'concern' over Trump's freeze on US foreign aid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  26. ^ "Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei Optimistic Trump Will Provide Alternatives to Financial Aid - Kenyans.co.ke". www.kenyans.co.ke. 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  27. ^ "US: Order Halting Foreign Aid Work Puts Lives at Risk | Human Rights Watch". 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
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