The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration is working to identify and exempt certain USAID programs from sweeping stop orders, as part of the broader freezing of President Donald Trump in foreign aid.
The measure occurs after the administration placed all USAID employees directly hired worldwide and withdrew thousands of personnel abroad, following the Trump directive last month to stop most of the foreign assistance of The United States in line with its “America First” policy.
Trump and his assistants have declared that their objective is to ensure that billions of dollars in the assistance of the United States, including distributed humanitarian aid worldwide, align with their “America First” policy. He commissioned billionaire Elon Musk, who accused Usaid of being a criminal organization without providing evidence, with the reduction of the agency.
Since Trump’s freezing on January 20, stop orders have stopped much of the agency’s help worldwide, leading to hundreds of contractors being fired. However, Monday’s announcement listed some exceptions, including “specially designated programs.”
“That language is deliberate, because now we are going to have to work … to identify which programs should be designated specifically and, therefore, exempt from that order,” Rubio said during a press conference in Guatemala City.
The exemption criteria will depend on whether a program promotes the national interests of the United States and aligns with them. “And those who do not continue,” Rubio added.
He repeated his accusation that USAID staff was not cooperating with the administration’s efforts to collect more information about the programs. However, he pointed out that the staff of the State Department who worked in similar programs was providing information to the administration.
“In the State Department … we have a very good idea, and that is why, every day, we are issuing exemptions in the State Department programs,” Rubio said. He did not provide details about what these exemptions implied.
Emergency food assistance was not included in the wide freezing in foreign aid. On January 28, Rubio issued an additional exemption for assistance to save lives and criteria described for what he would qualify.
However, the lack of details in Trump’s order and subsequent exemptions have left confused help groups about whether their work can continue.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the United States had stopped purchases for foreign food aid programs, despite an exemption from food assistance.
The freezing of wheat, soy and other products produced by American farmers could hinder or stop organizations that provide millions of tons of food annually to help relieve poverty in countries such as Madagascar, Tanzania and Honduras, said the sources.
