Organizations implementing US government-funded programs around the world have begun to cut staff, close, or are preparing to halt operations, following the unprecedented freeze on all international aid imposed by President Trump's administration.
On Monday, more than 50 senior officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), who were handling the implementation of the president's order to freeze aid, were suspended with pay. The acting director of USAID said he is investigating whether officials were resisting President Trump's orders.
The US position for decades has been that aid given to other countries comes back to America in the form of strengthening national security, stabilizing regions, and improving relations with partners.
Allied countries, including Ukraine, are trying to salvage some of their security funding from the 90-day freeze ordered last week by President Donald Trump, which also suspended federal aid programs and loans within the United States.
The Trump administration says it ordered a halt to aid to other countries to give it time to decide which of the thousands of humanitarian, development and security programs will continue to receive funding from the United States.
Meanwhile, US officials ordered the programs to immediately halt spending, with the only exceptions being emergency food programs and military aid to two allied countries, Israel and Egypt.
The freeze means that schools in Liberia, for example, will have to lay off the cooks who prepare children's lunches this week. It could also halt U.S. efforts to help American businesses abroad and counter China's growing influence. Veterans in Ukraine who call a hotline in a crisis could soon hear a recorded message, without the ability to speak to anyone.
The United States is by far the world's largest source of international aid, although other countries contribute a larger share of their budgets. The United States provides 4 out of every 10 dollars donated for humanitarian aid.
Aid workers, local officials and analysts point out that the extent of the freeze was difficult to comprehend.
"The aid community is coming to terms with how existential this aid freeze is," said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, one of the few aid officials willing to speak publicly about the impact of the freeze, following warnings from President Trump's administration.
But many administration officials and Republican lawmakers believe that aid funds for other countries should be spent domestically, or saved.
Aid to the Ukrainian army
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the freeze does not affect vital US support for the Ukrainian military as it fights Russian occupation forces. That is generally true.
The only categories of military assistance for which the State Department is responsible and therefore included in the suspension are foreign military financing and international military education and training. There are also several other programs for UN peacekeeping operations and mine clearance programs.
Most of the military aid to Ukraine has been provided through the Pentagon, however. It includes a program that uses existing weapons stocks and another called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to pay for weapons contracts that would not be delivered for a year or more.
None of the Defense Department's programs are directly affected by the freeze, although US officials say none are being prepared.
But civilian programs vital to Ukraine's war effort come from the State Department. There is no notice of exclusion for these programs. This includes the wage support that the United States provides to keep the Ukrainian government functioning despite the damage to the economy from the war.
That support is important, said Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "But I think if our European allies are reading the political moment in the United States well, they better move, I mean quickly, to try to take on most of the burden, if not all of it."
Funding for Ukraine veterans and other programs affected
The United States has sent ban orders on civilian programs to support Ukraine in the war.
This also includes 'Veteran Hub', a non-profit organization that manages a crisis hotline, which benefits about 1,300 veterans per month who call to seek social and psychological help.
After receiving the order to cease operations, Ivona Kostyna, the project manager, realized she could lose almost half of her 31-person staff.
"If we had a month, let's say, warning, even two weeks, it would have been a lot easier for us," she said. "We could have somehow managed to take measures for a period. But there was just no warning."
A few days before the freeze on US funds, the Veterans Hub received a call from someone on the verge of self-harm, Ms. Kostyna said. A hotline worker texted the person overnight.
"And now what we have is a line that's not working and basically no answer, which is terrible for us," she said.
Concerns about losing ground to China
The United States has also sought to increase its presence in the South Pacific to counter China's influence, including increasing USAID spending on countries that are among the most dependent on funding for development programs.
During visits to the Pacific in 2024, officials announced over $15 million in new spending to improve response to natural disasters, support economic growth, help countries cope with the devastating effects of climate change and more. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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