President Donald Trump's administration has reversed several foreign aid program cancellations that were made just days ago, sources told Reuters. The quick reversal underscores how programs have been cut, restored, then cut again, causing significant disruption to aid efforts worldwide.
Acting Deputy Administrator Jeremy Lewin of USAID requested staff to restore awards to the World Food Programmed in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador. Additionally, Reuters reports that four awards to the International Organization for Migration in the Pacific region have been resumed. In an internal email seen by the news agency, Lewin apologized for the back-and-forth on awards, acknowledging the need to better balance competing interests among stakeholders.
According to a CNN report, the reversal came after the World Food Programmed issued a stark warning that cutting such aid could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation. A State Department spokesperson confirmed to the news network that while these programs have been reinstated, the department intends to work with WFP to modify awards to better align with administration priorities. The spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, stated during a briefing that "there were a few programs that were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolled back and put into place.
CNN reports that despite the restorations, much of USAID's humanitarian funding remains cut, including all remaining contracts for Afghanistan and Yemen. Bruce explained that these specific programs were canceled through an executive order based on concerns that funding might benefit terrorist groups like the Houthis and Taliban.
The restored aid will continue flowing to Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador, while cuts to Afghanistan and Yemen remain in place, according to AP News. The fate of six other unidentified nations affected by the original cutoffs remains unclear, the news service reported. Even in areas where funding was reinstated, the State Department indicated it would work with the UN to modify its approach "to better align with Administration priorities," though no details were provided. Two USAID officials told AP that Jeremy Lewin, who oversees the dismantling of the aid agency, ordered the reversal of some terminations on Tuesday.
Senator Jeanne Shahen, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the administration to restore other critical programs as well, warning that the cuts would "weaken America's standing around the world." AP News noted that the United States had previously been the largest funder of the World Food Programmed, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion donated to the world's largest food aid provider last year, with past administrations viewing such assistance as serving U.S. national security by helping to alleviate conflict, poverty and extremism.
Sources:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/trump-admin-aid-yemen-afghanistan/index.html
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