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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent an order to all US diplomatic and consular posts directing a pause on “all new funding obligations, pending review, for foreign assistance programs funded by the Department and USAID.” The message was in line with the executive order President Trump signed on Monday to reevaluate U.S. foreign aid.
The order, which was obtained by CBS News, said that across the U.S. government, “it is currently impossible to access sufficient information in one location to determine whether foreign assistance policies and interests supported by appropriations are non-duplicative, effective.” and they are effective and they are effective. In accordance with President Trump’s foreign policy.”
Rubio’s order went on to say that the State Department “needs a centralized repository from which senior departments, USAID officials, ambassadors, missions, and others can extract sufficiently detailed information from which the Secretary can make judgments.” He added: “Further guidance on a new or updated repository and mandatory Office submissions will be forthcoming.
Under Rubio’s order, there is an 85-day deadline for a “comprehensive review of all foreign assistance” to be completed, and, it said, “a report will be produced to the Secretary of State for consideration and recommendation to the president.” “.
The order also appears to affect current existing aid programs, stating, “for existing foreign assistance awards, contracting officers and grant officers shall immediately issue stop work orders, in accordance with the terms of the relevant award, until such time as the Secretary determines, after review.”
However, Rubio noted that U.S. foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt is exempt from the order, as are emergency food assistance and related salaries and administrative expenses, including travel, for direct hire employees. , personal service contractors and locally employed employees. “This includes exceptions to the pause approved by the State Department’s Director of Foreign Assistance.
CBS News has reached out to the State Department for comment.
In its final days, the Biden administration had reportedly He diverted tens of millions of dollars in US military aid originally intended for Egypt to Lebanon, to support the Lebanese armed forces after the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement.
It is not immediately clear how the order will affect US foreign aid to Ukraine and other countries.
