For nearly two weeks, the hits have been ceaseless.
First, a 90-day pause on all foreign development assistance. Then, a gag order to keep the U.S. Agency for International Development staff from talking about it. And after that, a halt of nearly all USAID-funded programs — a move that’s thrust thousands of the agency’s partners into free fall.
“I’ve got people crying. I’ve got people not knowing whether they have a job or not,” said the leader of one humanitarian organization, which receives more than half of its funding from USAID. “I have people saying: but we really need to send these medicines. Are you telling me I can’t do that?”