Washington, United States:
The Trump administration urged the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to join the effort to transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Trump’s “America First” policy. It threatened “disciplinary action” for any staff who ignored the administration’s orders.
A tight-lipped memo sent Saturday to more than 10,000 USAID employees provided further guidance to Friday’s “stop-work” directive that effectively imposed a sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign aid worldwide. The memo, reviewed by Reuters, set expectations for the workforce on how to achieve Trump’s goals.
“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 the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come,” the memo said. Reuters confirmed the authenticity of the memo with several sources.
Since taking office last week, Trump has taken steps to fulfill his vow to remake a federal bureaucracy that he believes was hostile to him during his 2017-2021 presidency. He has reassigned or fired hundreds of federal employees in simultaneous moves against a swath of agencies.
Hours after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to assess whether it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Friday, the State Department issued a stop-work order worldwide, even for existing and allocated aid, calling into question billions of dollars in lifesaving assistance.
The United States is the largest donor of aid worldwide. In fiscal year 2023, it paid $72 billion in aid.
USAID and the White House National Security Council (NSC) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
Friday’s memo shocked humanitarian groups and communities that provide development aid around the world. While the scope of the directive appears far-reaching, uncertainties linger over how it will be implemented.
The memo on Saturday provided only partial clarity.
The pause on foreign aid spending represents “a complete freeze,” it said. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian assistance and for government officials returning to their duty stations. Revisions that allow emergency food delivery during the review period will require “detailed information and justification.”
The memo said further waivers would require two layers of approval – one from USAID leadership and another by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Any waiver must be thoroughly justified to demonstrate that the specific assistance for which the waiver is requested is necessary for lifesaving purposes, cannot be performed by current US Direct Hire personnel, or would otherwise pose a significant risk to national security ,” the memo said.
All foreign aid programs will undergo “comprehensive review” during the spending pause, the memo says. “It is important to emphasize that it is no longer business as usual. Each program will be thoroughly investigated.”
Saturday’s directive also banned all communications outside the agency, including between USAID and the State Department, unless they are approved by the former’s front office.
“Failure to comply with this directive, or any of the directives issued earlier this week and in the coming weeks, will result in disciplinary action,” it said.
Separately, USAID sent contractors a notice directing them to “immediately issue stop-work orders” and “modify or suspend” existing awards.
Humanitarian organizations and other donors are trying to understand how the directive will impact lifesaving activities in countries around the world. It’s too early to say whether or which specific services should be paused, they said.
In 2024, the US provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)