Local News

Trump pauses US foreign development aid for 90 days pending review

21 January 2025
This content originally appeared on INews Guyana.
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President Donald Trump delivers remarks in Emancipation Hall during inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025. (Photo: Angelina Katsanis/Pool via REUTERS)

(Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with his foreign policy.

“All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds,” read the executive order signed by Trump just hours after he took office for a second term.

It was also unclear what funding could be cut given the U.S. Congress sets the federal U.S. government budget.

The executive order echoes a return to the approach Trump took during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021.

Then at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in 2018, Trump complained that the U.S. was the largest foreign aid donor, “but few give anything to us.”