President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily suspending all US foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals, reports AP.
Trump declared that “no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”
Such US assistance typically amounts to roughly 1% of the federal budget, except under unusual circumstances such as the billions in weaponry provided to Ukraine. According to the latest State Department data, almost $66 billion have been allocated to support Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion, and about $70 billion since 2014.
Some of the biggest recipients of US assistance, Israel ($3.3 billion per year), Egypt ($1.5 billion per year), and Jordan ($1.7 billion per year) are unlikely to see dramatic reductions, as those amounts are included in long-term packages that date back decades and are in some cases governed by treaty obligations, AP added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing last week that “every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: “Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” he said.