Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent an order to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts ordering a pause on “all new funding obligations, pending review, for foreign assistance programs funded by or through through the ministry and USAID. The message was consistent with executive order President Trump signed Monday to reassess U.S. foreign aid.
The order, which was obtained by CBS News, said that in the U.S. government, “it is currently impossible to access sufficient information in one place to determine whether foreign assistance policies and interests supported by the credits are not duplicated, are effective and are consistent with President Trump’s foreign policy.
Rubio’s order went on to say that the State Department “needs a centralized repository from which senior department, officials, ambassadors, missions, and others can derive sufficiently detailed information from which the secretary can make judgments. He added: “More guidance regarding a new or updated repository and mandatory desktop submissions therein to come.”
Under Rubio’s order, there is an 85-day deadline for a “comprehensive government-wide review of all foreign assistance” and, he said, “A report will be produced to the Secretary of State for its consideration and recommendation to the President.
The order also appears to impact current existing aid programs, stating: “For existing foreign assistance awards, procurement officers and grant officers shall issue immediately, following review. “
However, Rubio indicated that U.S. foreign military funding for Israel and Egypt is exempt from the order, as are emergency food assistance and “salaries and related administrative expenses, including travel, for direct hire employees, personal service contractors, and locally employed personnel.” This includes exceptions to the pause approved by the State Department’s Director of Office of Foreign Assistance.
CBS News has contacted the State Department for comment.
In its final days, the Biden administration had would have diverted tens of millions of dollars in US military aid originally intended for Egypt to go to Lebanon instead, to support the Lebanese armed forces following the ceasefire agreement Israel-Hezbollah.
It is not immediately clear how the order will impact U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine and other countries.
