US President Donald Trump has ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy.
“All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds,” reads the executive order signed by Trump just hours after he took office for a second term.
It is not immediately clear how broad the order is and what programs, countries, non-governmental organizations and international organizations would be affected by the move. It is also unclear what funding could be cut given the US Congress sets the federal US government budget.
The move would likely impact US aid to the Palestinians, which was cut by Trump during his first term.
The executive order echoes a return to the approach Trump took during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021.
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Tuesday, January 21, 2025
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