Protesters at the USAID building, Washington, D.C., February 3, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Global Aid Disruptions Persist Amid Trump Administration’s Foreign Aid Freeze
Introduction
Three weeks into U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping 90-day foreign aid freeze, life-saving programs across multiple countries remain in limbo as humanitarian workers struggle to secure waivers from the U.S. government. The freeze, implemented as part of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy, has halted critical health, food, and emergency assistance programs that depend on U.S. funding.
Despite assurances from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that “life-saving humanitarian assistance” would continue through specific exemptions, aid groups, U.N. officials, and affected communities report widespread confusion due to a lack of clear guidelines. The result has been a shutdown of essential services, including malaria prevention, HIV treatment, and famine relief in several crisis-hit regions.
Lack of Communication and Guidance
Aid organizations and United Nations (U.N.) officials have been unable to determine which programs qualify for exemptions, leading to delays and program shutdowns. According to humanitarian workers:
- USAID staff were explicitly instructed not to communicate externally about the waiver process.
- Aid organizations have been unable to confirm funding status for life-saving programs.
- Many U.S. government contacts have been fired or barred from communication, creating a complete breakdown in coordination.
A Geneva-based aid official recounted their experience:
“We asked: Can you tell us exactly which programs we need to stop? Then we got a message saying, ‘no more guidance is forthcoming.’ This leaves us in a situation where we have to make impossible choices. We don’t have money to pay for it ourselves.”
Critical Health Programs at Risk
- HIV Treatment in Haiti
- A program providing HIV treatment to thousands of patients, including pregnant women, remains shut down despite supposed exemptions.
- Affected patients, including over half of Haiti’s 150,000 AIDS patients, face interrupted access to life-saving medications.
- PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a globally recognized U.S. program, remains stalled due to bureaucratic delays.
- Malaria Prevention in Africa
- In Ghana and Kenya, essential anti-malaria campaigns—including insecticide spraying and mosquito net distribution—have been halted, despite malaria being one of the deadliest diseases in Africa.
- A USAID memo dated February 4 states that malaria interventions are exempt, but funding remains frozen, leaving supplies unused in warehouses.
- Millions of malaria treatments and preventative medicines are now at risk of expiring.
- Food and Famine Relief in Myanmar
- Myanmar faces an impending famine, with over two million people on the brink of starvation.
- Aid groups, previously funded by U.S. assistance, report they cannot distribute food supplies due to the freeze.
- A worker in Myanmar described the situation as “mayhem”, with no clear guidance from U.S. officials.
- Refugee Camps in Thailand and Bangladesh
- Health clinics serving Myanmar refugees in Thailand were ordered to shut down immediately following the aid freeze.
- In Bangladesh, where the U.S. funds 55% of humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees, essential services—including medical care—have been disrupted.
Impact of the USAID Shake-Up
The crisis has been worsened by internal turmoil at USAID, the U.S. government’s primary aid agency. President Trump has targeted USAID for a drastic overhaul, calling it a “criminal organization” and placing it under the control of billionaire Elon Musk, his government efficiency advisor.
- More than 9,000 USAID employees have been dismissed, reducing the agency’s workforce to only 611 staff worldwide.
- Fired USAID workers say they were abruptly locked out of offices, unable to save critical files, contacts, or program data.
- The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) website was taken down and replaced with a brief message stating that it was under review for compliance with Trump’s executive order.
Anne Linn, a former USAID malaria specialist, described the impact:
“It’s as if all the work has just been erased. The wastefulness of it is staggering.”
Growing Global Backlash
The Trump administration’s freeze has triggered international condemnation, particularly from humanitarian organizations that depend on U.S. assistance.
- Myanmar’s aid workers fear mass starvation.
- Haitian health officials warn of preventable HIV-related deaths.
- African governments worry about a resurgence in malaria-related deaths among children.
A U.N. official in Bangladesh, seeking clarity on exemptions, reported that U.S. officials were simply not answering calls.
Conclusion: Uncertainty and Life-Threatening Consequences
As the 90-day aid freeze continues, humanitarian organizations remain in limbo, unable to operate without financial and logistical certainty. While the Trump administration has promised a review process, the lack of transparency, guidance, and clear waivers has already caused irreparable harm.
A senior aid worker summed up the gravity of the crisis:
“If you cut all the activities, people are going to die. It’s that simple.”
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