US freezes foreign aid following Trump’s review order

Washington, In a move that has raised alarm across the globe, the US State Department issued a “stop-work” order on Friday, halting all existing foreign assistance and pausing new aid allocations. The decision follows a directive from President Donald Trump to review the effectiveness and alignment of US foreign aid with his administration’s foreign policy objectives.

According to a cable reviewed by Reuters, the order, draughted by the State Department’s foreign assistance office and approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, instructed that no new obligations for foreign assistance would be made until Rubio concludes a review. The review aims to assess whether aid disbursements are being efficiently utilized and if they align with the President’s broader foreign policy agenda.

The cable further clarified that military financing for two Middle Eastern nations, including Egypt and Israel, will be exempt from the freeze through issued waivers, though no other countries were specifically mentioned in the document.