PREVIEW
An executive order from President imposes a 90-day freeze on most foreign funding – except military aid
Within hours of entering the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order for a three-month freeze on all foreign aid. This move seemed certain to result in major cuts to the US$68 billion annual US foreign aid budget and the $8bn allocated by the Biden administration in aid for sub-Saharan Africa in 2024.
However, officials say privately that the directive issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, interpreting Trump’s order, is far more radical than they had anticipated (AC Vol 66 No 2, America first but Africa where?).
Rubio issued a ‘stop-work’ memorandum to all US agencies on 24 January and its scope applies both to ongoing and future projects. The only exceptions are military aid to Israel and Egypt, and US contributions to emergency food assistance.
‘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,’ says the memo to staff.
Senior diplomats issued the ‘stop-work’ instructions to embassy and local agency staff on 25 January, Africa Confidential has learned.
That may have long-lasting implications for US aid programmes even if most initiatives are unfrozen in April and major job cuts, particularly in US Agency for International Development, are now expected.
Elsewhere, the US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, which leaves a $1.2bn budget hole, is expected to have an immediate impact on the response to the mpox pandemic in central Africa.
While Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials briefed last week that they do not expect their own programmes to be significantly affected, Africa CDC’s Ngashi Ngongo told journalists that the loss of US funding means that ‘it is time for some of the African member states to think the financing of public health’.
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