According to a report by news agency AFP, the United States, the largest donor in the world, has not stopped providing Israel and Egypt with emergency food and military assistance.
The newly sworn-in Donald Trump administration in the United States reportedly issued a broad order on Friday that halted all foreign aid, including help to Ukraine, with the exception of Israel and Egypt.
On January 20, US President Donald Trump leaves the President’s Room with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Vice President JD Vance, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise after signing official documents (via REUTERS).
According to a report by news agency AFP, the United States, the largest donor in the world, has not stopped providing Israel and Egypt with emergency food and military assistance.
The action is consistent with US President Donald Trump’s promise of a “America First” strategy that places strong limitations on foreign aid. The directive is anticipated to have an impact on everything from military aid to development assistance, including Ukraine, which under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden received billions of dollars in arms to resist the Russian invasion.
According to the AFP story, the directive also means that US financing for PEPFAR, the anti-HIV/AIDS program that purchases anti-retroviral medications to treat the disease in underdeveloped nations, mostly in Africa, will be halted for at least a few months.
PEPFAR, which was started in 2003 under President George W. Bush, is believed to have saved over 26 million lives and, up until recently, had widespread support in Washington across partisan lines.