The newly installed director of the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance sent a global cable Friday that orders an immediate pause on new foreign aid spending, as well as a stop-work order for existing grants and contracts.
United States aid officials and experts who reviewed the document told Devex that the new guidance intensifies U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which placed a 90-day pause on aid spending and could sow “chaos” throughout U.S. aid programs.
“Effective immediately, Assistant Secretaries and Senior Bureau Officials shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance until such time as the Secretary shall determine, following a review,” reads the memo, which was sent by recent Trump appointee Peter Marocco and seen by Devex.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
