UN aid operations slashed following Trump foreign assistance suspension
Creator: MOHAMMED ABED | Credit: AFP
In response to the 90-day suspension of all foreign aid ordered by the Trump administration, UN agencies have begun cutting back their global humanitarian operations.
Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), issued an urgent directive to staff, implementing an immediate freeze on hiring, contracts, international travel, and new supply orders, except in emergencies.
The move is aimed at managing resources as the agency adapts to the sudden US funding halt.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the suspension would not affect “core” life-saving aid, including food, medicine, shelter, and medical services. However, initial reports indicate that humanitarian operations worldwide have already suffered severe cutbacks, with aid groups forced to fire staff and scale back assistance.
The United States contributed $2.49 billion to the UNHCR in 2024, accounting for one-fifth of the agency’s total budget.
Grandi warned that the funding freeze—which comes at a time when global displacement has reached levels unseen since World War II is causing significant disruption to relief efforts.
The State Department defended the decision, arguing that US foreign aid has been misaligned with American interests.
Spokesperson Tammy Bruce claimed that aid programmes had been “destabilizing world peace” by promoting values contrary to “harmonious and stable relations” among nations.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has cracked down on internal resistance—placing nearly 60 senior USAID officials on leave, suspecting them of helping humanitarian organizations circumvent the freeze.
