United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern regarding President Donald Trump’s recent decision to temporarily halt foreign aid from the United States, a move the Trump administration says is in line with its “America First” agenda, Al Jazeera reports.
A UN spokesperson confirmed at a Monday news conference that Guterres had noted the policy change “with concern.” The halt comes as a result of an executive order signed by President Trump shortly after his second-term inauguration on January 20th. The order mandates all federal agencies to implement a 90-day pause on foreign development assistance while existing programs are reviewed.
“It is the policy of United States 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,” the executive order read.
Following the order, the US State Department issued a memo suspending nearly all new funding for foreign aid programs. However, exceptions have been made for key Middle East allies, specifically Israel and Egypt, and for emergency food assistance and related expenses.
The Trump administration has defended the decision. In a statement released Sunday, the State Department declared, “President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.” The statement also emphasized newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s support for the policy.
