The State Department on Wednesday sought to clarify President Donald Trump's order to freeze and review foreign development aid after the top U.S. diplomat blunted some of the chaos that ensued with an emergency order that could shield the world's largest HIV program from the 90-day funding freeze.
At the White House, Trump said his pauses to foreign and domestic funding are part of his administration's effort to root out "tremendous waste and fraud and abuse."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio's late-Tuesday waiver exempts humanitarian aid, which he classifies as "life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance."
The United Nations' AIDS program welcomed the news, emphasizing the value of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which serves 20 million people in 55 countries.
"UNAIDS welcomes this waiver from the U.S. government, which ensures that millions of people living with HIV can continue to receive life-saving HIV medication during the assessment of U.S. foreign development assistance," said Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. "This urgent decision recognizes PEPFAR's critical role in the AIDS response and restores hope to people living with HIV."
'Blocking woke programs'
In a Wednesday memo sent to journalists, the State Department explained its rationale for the freeze during the review and lauded early cost cuts, saying that "even at this early stage, over $1,000,000,000 in spending not aligned with an America First agenda has been prevented."
The U.S. spent about $70 billion in foreign aid in fiscal year 2023, the most recent data available.
"We are rooting out waste," the memo said. "We are blocking woke programs. And we are exposing activities that run contrary to our national interests. None of this would be possible if these programs remained on autopilot."
The president, who said Wednesday at the White House that he "could stand here all day" and give examples of wasted fraud and abuse in the U.S. government, highlighted a few.
"We identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas," he said. "Fifty million. And you know what's happened to them? They've used them as a method of making bombs. How about that?"
The State Department echoed this, saying in a statement, "Without the pause, U.S. taxpayers would have provided condoms [and other contraceptive services] in Gaza, climate justice marketing services in Gabon, clean energy programs for women in Fiji, gender development programs in D.C., family planning throughout Latin America, sex education and pro-abortion programs for young girls globally, and much more. These types of programs do not make America stronger, safer or more prosperous."
A day earlier, the State Department sent a memo citing examples of unworthy projects, including $102 million to fund humanitarian aid nonprofit International Medical Corps' work in war-battered Gaza.
A USAID report says the agency delivered about $7 million worth of male condoms and about $1 million in female condoms in the 2023 fiscal year. In total, the agency said it disbursed nearly 138 million male condoms and 1.7 million female condoms worldwide.
Under USAID, the main administrator for U.S. foreign development funds, the bulk of contraceptive items were delivered to African countries, according to the report. Jordan was the only country in the Middle East to receive a shipment, which consisted of injectable and oral contraceptives valued at $45,680.
'Dramatic overreach'
At the U.S. Capitol, lawmakers not only affirmed the need for accountability but also emphasized that Congress, not the White House, decides how U.S. taxpayer money is spent.
"I think it's appropriate to have a review," said Senator Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican.
"It would be my hope, however, that the aid can be reinstated and flow to Ukraine," Cramer said. "And then we'll see in the next appropriation cycle whether or not Congress still has the will to continue that aid."
"This is dramatic overreach by the White House, by the president," said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat. "It's unprecedented, uncalled for. This is money that we have appropriated in our role as members of the Senate and the House."
