Trump administration memo tells USAid to put ‘America First’ in reviewing foreign aid

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration urged US Agency for International Development (USAid) workers to join the effort to transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Mr Trump’s “America First” policy. It threatened “disciplinary action” for any staff ignoring the administration’s orders.

A sharply worded memo sent on Jan 25 to more than 10,000 staff at USAid offered further guidance to Jan 24’s

“stop-work” directive

that effectively put a sweeping freeze on US foreign aid worldwide. The memo, reviewed by Reuters, laid out expectations for the workforce on how to achieve Mr Trump’s goals.

“We have a responsibility to support the President in achieving his vision,” Mr Ken Jackson, assistant to the administrator for management and resources, wrote in the internal memo, titled Message And Expectation To The Workforce.

“The President has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come,” the memo said. Reuters confirmed the authenticity of the memo with several sources.

Since taking office on Jan 20, Mr Trump has taken steps towards fulfilling his vow to remake a federal bureaucracy he believes was hostile to him during his 2017 to 2021 presidency. He has

reassigned or fired hundreds of federal workers

in simultaneous moves against a swathe of agencies.

Hours after taking office, Mr Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to review if it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Jan 24, the State Department issued a stop-work order worldwide even for existing and appropriated assistance, calling into question billions of dollars of life-saving aid.

The US is the largest single donor of aid globally. In fiscal year 2023, it disbursed US$72 billion (S$97 billion) in assistance.

USAid and the White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.

Jan 24’s memo shocked the humanitarian groups and communities conducting development aid across the globe. While the scope of the directive appears far-reaching, uncertainties linger over how it will be carried out.

The memo on Jan 25 offered only partial clarity.

The pause on foreign aid spending means “a complete halt”, it said. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian food assistance and for government officials returning to their duty stations. Waivers allowing delivery of emergency food during the review period will require “detailed information and justification”.

The memo said further waivers would require two layers of approval – one from USAid leadership and another by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Any waiver must be thoroughly justified to demonstrate that the specific assistance for which the waiver is sought is necessary for lifesaving purposes, cannot be performed by current US direct hire staff, or would otherwise pose significant risks to national security,” the memo said.

All foreign assistance programmes will undergo “comprehensive review” during the pause in spending, the memo said. “It is important to emphasise that it is no longer business as usual. Every programme will be thoroughly scrutinised.”

Jan 25’s directive also banned any communications outside the agency, including between USAid and the State Department, unless they are approved by the former’s front office.

“Failure to abide by this directive, or any of the directives sent out earlier this week and in the coming weeks, will result in disciplinary action,” it said.

Separately, USAid sent contractors a notice ordering them to “immediately issue stop-work orders” and to “amend, or suspend existing awards”. 

Vulnerable populations

Humanitarian organisations and other donors are scrambling to understand how the directive will impact life-saving operations in countries across the globe. It is too soon to tell whether or what specific services will have to be paused, they said.

Among the places the US plays a crucial life-saving role is famine-stricken Sudan, where at least 24.6 million people urgently need food assistance, according to a December report from the Integrated Food Phase Classification, a global food security watchdog. The US provided 45 per cent of humanitarian aid recorded by the UN for Sudan in 2024.

“Any reduction in funding would inevitably affect the most vulnerable people relying on humanitarian operations in Sudan,” said a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Even if the policy does allow emergency food assistance to continue, it does not mention other life-saving services required to treat people suffering the effects of acute malnutrition and starvation.

“Hunger doesn’t just leave people with an empty stomach. It weakens the body’s ability to fight off infections and diseases, making them so much more vulnerable to illness, which can lead to serious health problems or even death,” said Dr Deepmala Mahla, chief humanitarian officer for relief organisation Care.

“This is not just about funding,” she said. “It is about the very survival of the most vulnerable in conflict zones.” REUTERS