Emergency food aid, including those for Sudan and Syria also unaffected

The United States government has frozen all foreign aid, with exceptions only for emergency food assistance and military funding for Israel and Egypt. The decision, announced on Friday, came via an internal memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reflecting President Trump’s “America First” policy.

The sweeping order impacts a wide range of programs, including development assistance and military aid to countries like Ukraine, which received billions in weaponry under the previous administration.

The freeze also temporarily halts US funding for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS initiative credited with saving millions of lives, primarily in Africa. Lawmakers from the opposing Democratic Party have raised concerns, highlighting the reliance of over 20 million people on PEPFAR medication and 63 million on US-funded anti-malaria programs. Representatives Meeks and Frankel criticized the move as jeopardizing US credibility and commitments to global partners.

While the memo cites a need to review the effectiveness and alignment of existing aid commitments with President Trump’s foreign policy, exceptions were explicitly made for continued military assistance to Israel, which has received significantly increased arms packages following its military offensive in Gaza, and Egypt, a long-standing recipient of US defense funding due to its peace treaty with Israel. Emergency food aid to countries like Sudan and Syria remains unaffected.

The freeze was initially announced via a 90-day executive order on the day Donald Trump assumed office of the president. Trump had added that foreign aid would have to be reviewed to make sure it is in line with his administration’s foreign policy objectives.

The move has sparked criticism from organizations like Oxfam, which argues that the decision abandons a long-standing US consensus on the importance of foreign aid and could have life-or-death consequences for millions. The memo mandates an 85-day internal review of all foreign assistance programs.