SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The State Department has halted virtually all new U.S. foreign assistance and issued a stop-work order for existing humanitarian and development programs. According to an internal State Department memo widely circulated yesterday and obtained by NPR, it is an expansion of President Trump's executive order earlier this week, pausing foreign aid for 90 days. NPR global health correspondent Fatma Tanis joins us in our studios. Fatma, thanks so much for being with us.
FATMA TANIS, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Scott.
SIMON: And please tell us about this memo.
TANIS: So it was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and it says that U.S. foreign assistance will be frozen while a comprehensive review of all programs can be undertaken to, quote, "ensure that all foreign assistance is aligned with President Trump's foreign policy agenda." Now, the memo says the review will be completed within 85 days, and that means for nearly three months, there's going to be no new funding for any foreign assistance, and programs that have already been approved for funding will have to stop work. There are some exemptions, such as foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt, and also emergency food aid.
SIMON: What kind of programs are likely to be affected?
TANIS: It's everything from the building of roads to vaccination programs, and there are also aid efforts in sensitive conflict zones. These are often logistically complicated programs. So once you pause them, it's hard to get things running back up again immediately. And you know, Scott, we're talking about a lot of investment, around $60 billion worth. That's how much the U.S. provides in foreign assistance annually, and it's the biggest financial supporter of development aid in the world. So this is going to have a huge impact across the board.
And there's a lot that's still unclear. There are questions about how this is going to affect, you know, aid to Ukraine and Taiwan, for example - also, critical global health programs like PEPFAR, that's the U.S. effort to combat HIV around the world, and it's credited with having saved 25 million lives.
SIMON: What might happen to people who work for these programs?
TANIS: So until this review is over, these U.S.-funded programs are likely going to have to cease operations, even furlough or lay off their staff. Employees of USAID, the agency primarily responsible for administering humanitarian and development aid, will be keeping their jobs for now. But I should also note that many of the organizations that partner with the U.S. on foreign assistance are based in the U.S., and they employ people here and overseas. So this is going to impact overseas staff in the short-term, but it will also lead to layoffs in the U.S. if it continues.
SIMON: What kind of reaction from aid groups?
TANIS: People are shocked and really worried. A senior official at USAID told me that, quote, "the work-stop order is completely reckless and disruptive," and said it was draconian. The official asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the agency. I also spoke to the leader of an organization that partners with USAID. They offer humanitarian assistance, and that person told me the administration has, quote, "thrown a grenade right into the middle of foreign assistance." This person also spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing retribution against their organization for speaking out. They said that they would likely have to pull out their staff who are providing critical services in the field and also lay off U.S. staff. The person said that, quote, "we can't afford to keep funding our programs, because we don't know if we will be reimbursed per our contacts with U.S. agencies."
Aid experts are also warning that this move could have a destabilizing effect in countries where humanitarian aid is critical. I spoke to Abby Maxman. She's the president of Oxfam America. It's a charity that does not take funding from the U.S. government. Here's what she said.
ABBY MAXMAN: It's having seismic impacts for the entire global aid system. And really, frankly, it's a cruel decision that has life-or-death consequences for millions of people around the world.
TANIS: And she's called on the Trump administration to reverse the move before it's too late.
SIMON: NPR's Fatma Tanis. Thanks so much for being with us.
TANIS: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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