“This is a game-changing moment, what the U.S. has done.”
That’s how Marcia Wong, former deputy assistant administrator at the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, described the Trump administration’s decision to order an immediate pause on new U.S. foreign assistance and a stop-work order for existing grants and contracts.
Ever since Devex broke the news of the aid freeze last Friday, everyone from USAID contracting officers to local partners on the ground have been in a tailspin, scrambling for answers. As part of our ongoing coverage of the rapidly evolving situation, Devex hosted a Pro Briefing on Monday featuring Wong and other top experts on what President Donald Trump’s foreign aid plans mean for USAID and its partners. The event was flooded with a deluge of questions, reflecting the deep uncertainty about what happens next. Here’s a sampling: