Washington announces new exemptions to foreign aid freeze

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday expanded the exemptions under a general freeze on U.S. foreign aid, ensuring that emergency aid for shelters or medicine will continue to be funded.

Upon assuming office last week, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause to review U.S. aid, the largest donor in the world in terms of dollars.

Rubio then froze nearly all funds, while allowing exceptions for emergency food aid and military assistance to Israel and Egypt. In a circular published Tuesday, following an uproar from humanitarian organizations, Rubio specified that other forms of "humanitarian aid," beyond food aid, would also be exempted during the review period.

Humanitarian aid is defined as "life-saving medicines, medical services, food, shelters, and livelihood assistance," Rubio wrote in this note, the content of which was confirmed to AFP.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated on X that "urgent needs are being met." "General exemptions are in place for emergency food aid and other forms of emergency humanitarian aid," she said. "A waiver process exists for items not covered by the preexisting exemptions," the spokeswoman added.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "many" humanitarian projects in Ukraine were on hold due to the freeze on U.S. aid, and that Kyiv would seek alternative funding.

The Trump administration's stated goal is to eliminate "blatant" funding and programs that do not align with presidential priorities. Earlier in the day, the White House justified President Trump’s decision to pause U.S. foreign aid by citing as an example funding for condoms for Gaza.

Bruce also highlighted efforts related to climate change and gender assistance. "The American people’s mandate was clear: we need to refocus on American national interests," she said.

NGOs and Democratic lawmakers, as well as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, expressed concern about the potentially disastrous consequences of this freeze on humanitarian aid.