The State Department has moved to dramatically squeeze foreign aid that saves lives for countries around the world, according to several US officials familiar with the matter.
The last cuts include the termination of all the remaining international development contracts for development that support the delivery of food, water and medicine to populations in Afghanistan and Yemen, the cancellation of the world’s world food program (PMA) program (PMA) larger (PMA) for Somalia, and the termination of several awards that financed the delivery of critical assistance in Syria and Lebanon, three officials to ABC News.
A USAID flag Salta outside, since the USAID building is closed to employees after a memorandum was issued to the agency staff that works remotely, in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2025.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters
Jordan, Haiti, Gaza, Niger, Palau and Papua New Guinea, as well as several other countries and main help groups, also saw significant help contracts that come out lives in recent days, they added.
The last round of cuts to help totals of more than $ 1.3 billion, according to Oneaid, a base defense group composed of previous and current experts from Usaid.
It also marks an apparent reversion for the State Department, which previously granted exemptions so that the funds continue after the reduction of Trump administration administration in foreign aid of the United States caused a generalized reaction.
The state department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed during a press conference on Tuesday that the United States had eliminated many contracts.
However, he argued that most of the funds for the WFP had not been affected, saying: “In the first place, 85% of the previously existing USAID programs with the World Food program worldwide remain active and continuous. Therefore, it is inaccurate, as some have intimidated, which Usaid has deciphered the World Food Program … or that we have widely supported our commitments to provide food for food to save food.”
She observed that some PMA programs had been completed “based on specific priorities of the country or program level.”
“The largest awards for the World Food Program Finished was in Yemen and Afghanistan through an executive order that was issued based on the concern that the financing benefited the terrorist groups, including the hutis and the Taliban,” he said. “Other awards were over because they provided cash -based assistance, from which the administration is moving away, given concerns about misuse and lack of appropriate responsibility for US taxpayers here at home.”
The PMA confirmed on Monday that the US government had informed the organization that the financing of emergency food assistance in 14 countries had been completed.
“If it is implemented, this could be a death sentence for millions of people who face extreme hunger and hunger,” PMA said in a statement. “We are in contact with the US administration to seek clarifications and urge continuous support for these programs that save lives.”
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, talks to journalists on his plane while flying from Suriname on the road to Miami, on March 27, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
ABC News contacted the State Department to comment on the cuts, but did not receive an answer.
It is not clear what motivated the last round of financing cancellations, but an official said that Jeremy Lewin, the Usaid’s attached policy administrator, who previously worked with the efficiency department of the Elon Musk government to dismantle the agency.
The official also said that many of the programs affected by the last cuts recently received contracting privileges or had expenses modifications to their contracts approved by Secretary of State Framework Rubio.
These special permits were seen as an indication that the leadership of the State Department considered that the work was essential to fulfill its mission of delivering “central medicine to save lives, medical services, food, shelters and subsistence assistance” in the midst of the revision of the Trump administration of all foreign aid expenses.
Bruce added to his press conference that some awards had been inadvertently eliminated, but since then they had been restored, although she refused to give details.
“There were some programs that were cut in other countries that were not destined to be cut, which have become and placed in place,” Bruce said.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, observes while the president of the United States, Donald Trump, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not in the photo) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on April 7, 2025.
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
Shortly after returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump ordered a whole freezing about all foreign assistance for 90 days, which led to a burst of stop orders and the hiring freezing that affect a wide range of humanitarian aid work.
Since then, the Trump administration has moved to cancel some foreign aid subsidies and contracts of $ 60 billion, but senior officials such as blond have promised that the most essential assistance would continue.
“It’s not about getting rid of help. It’s about restructuring how we’re going to do help,” Rubio said last month.
