The Trump administration announced Wednesday, February 26, pruning massively in American international aid, in particular by the abolition of 92 % of programs abroad by the US Development Agency, USAID, boasting of “saving nearly $ 60 billion in taxpayers”.
President Donald Trump signed a decree on January 20, upon his return to the White House, ordering a freezing of the American foreign aid for 90 days, the time of a complete review in order to assess his compliance with the policy he intends to conduct, in particular against programs promoting abortion, family planning or even advocating diversity and inclusion. But a federal judge, seized by two organizations bringing together companies, NGOs, and other beneficiaries of American aid funds, suspended this decision to freeze expenses approved by the congress.
Within the framework of this procedure, following an examination of these programs carried out by his services, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which depends in the USAID, promised to dismantle, decided to permanently eliminate nearly 5,800 of the funding granted worldwide by the agency, at a cost remaining of $ 54 billion, keeping only a little more than 500, according to the State Department.
In addition, out of more than 9,100 subsidies granted by the State Department, a total of $ 15.9 billion, 4,100 – at an estimated cost of 4.4 billion – were canceled, said a spokesperson for American diplomacy.
Rare funding maintained
USAID maintains “vital” subsidies such as food assistance and treatments for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria patients, as well as for countries like Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba, ensures the State Department.
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“The State Department has repeatedly abolished, with immediate effect, 10,000 of its own funding and USAID, amputating American foreign aid,” deplored in an interaction press release, an alliance of more than 160 NGOs. “Women and children will suffer from hunger, food will rot in warehouses, children will be born with HIV, among other tragedies,” she added, urging Marco Rubio to return to a decision that “will not make America safer, stronger, strong, or more prosperous”.
Justice also ordered the State Department to resume by 23:59 (Thursday 05:59 am French time) the payments, an amount estimated at 1.5 to 2 billion dollars, due to hundreds of international aid organizations. But the main conservative Supreme Court, seized by the Trump administration, suspended this decision while it decides on the merits.
USAID, whose workforce exceeded the number of 10,000, announced on February 23 the dismissal of 1,600 of its employees in the United States and the placement of the majority of its staff on administrative leave. The freeze of aid by Donald Trump aroused shock and stir in the independent agency created by an American Congress Act in 1961, and which manages an annual budget of $ 42.8 billion, alone representing 42 % of humanitarian aid over the world.