Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and US Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to assess whether the money puts America first.
On Sunday, the State Department released a statement on the fall of President Donald Trump’s executive order to reevaluate and realign U.S. foreign assistance
“Consistent with President Trump’s executive order reevaluating and reallocating United States foreign assistance, Secretary (Marco) Rubio has supplemented all U.S. foreign assistance with or through the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development ( USAID) for review,” read the statement. “He is initiating a review of all foreign aid programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under America’s First Agenda. President Trump clearly stated that the United States will no longer hand out money without a return for the American people .”
The statement continued, saying that the assessment and coordination of foreign aid on behalf of taxpayers is a “moral imperative,” adding that Rubio is proud to protect America’s investment “with an intentional and sensible assessment” of how the money is spent to helping foreigners abroad.
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The front of the US Agency of International Development (USAID) Headquarters is seen on September 15, 2014 in Washington, DC.
“The implementation of this executive order and the direction of the Secretary furthers that mission,” the statement said. “As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified by the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? America more prosperous?
The announcement comes after the Trump administration ordered officials with USAID to stop bidding Foreign aid worldwide or face “disciplinary action” for noncompliance.
Reuters reported that the Trump administration sent a strongly worded memo to more than 10,000 staff at USAID on Saturday, offering a “stop-work” directive starting Friday that foresaw a freeze on U.S. foreign aid around the world.
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President Donald Trump wants all Foriegn aid to put “America first.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The wire service reviewed the memo and said it sets expectations for the workforce on how to achieve Trump’s Goals to Put America First.
“We have a responsibility to support the President in achieving his vision,” Ken Jackson, assistant to the administrator for management and resources, wrote in the internal memo, titled “Message and Expectation to Staff.”
“The President has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform how we approach foreign assistance for decades to come,” the memo added. Reuters reported that it confirmed the memo’s authenticity with several sources.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid just hours after taking office to assess whether the funding was consistent with his foreign policy priorities.
On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued on a pause on aid worldwide.
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The US is the largest donor of aid worldwide. During fiscal year 2023, the US distributed $72 billion in aid. It also provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.
Fox News Digital has contacted USAID for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
