State Department issues immediate, widespread pause on foreign aid

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. US orders halt to virtually all foreign aid except funding to Israel and Egypt

The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has ordered a halt to virtually all US foreign aid, but made an exception for funding to Israel and Egypt, according to an internal memo to staff at the US state department.

“No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved … as consistent with President Trump’s agenda,” said the memo.

The sweeping order appears to affect everything from development assistance to military aid – including potentially to Ukraine, which received billions of dollars in weapons under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden as it tries to repel a Russian invasion.
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“Organizations will have to stop all activities, so all lifesaving health services, HIV/Aids, nutrition, maternal and child health, all agriculture work, all support of civil society organizations, education,” said the official.

A USAID official, who requested anonymity, said officers responsible for projects in Ukraine have been told to stop all work. Among the projects that have been frozen are support to schools and health assistance like emergency maternal care and childhood vaccinations, the official said.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/24/foreign-aid-israel-egypt

So Trump bloviates about putting more sanctions on Russia (when there are practically no mor than can be imposed), but his actions are: cut off all aid to Ukraine.