PNN – While Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, claims that the country’s humanitarian aid is still ongoing, foreign aid workers have rejected this assertion.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network multiple sources have stated that despite *Rubio’s* claims, evidence suggests that U.S. financial aid worldwide has largely been halted.
Now, three weeks into Washington’s suspension of foreign aid, it is expected that thousands of employees of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will either be laid off or placed on leave, with only a few hundred staff members in key roles remaining. This decision by the White House could effectively lead to the agency’s complete shutdown.
Reports indicate that a federal judge temporarily halted Donald Trump’s plan on Friday to furlough 2,200 USAID employees and rapidly withdraw personnel from various countries worldwide.
Rubio, who currently serves as the acting director of the agency, had previously stated that a general exemption was issued for all humanitarian and financial assistance programs.
However, he emphasized that any program related to food, medicine, or other life-saving resources considered urgent and essential would not be covered under this exemption plan.
The U.S. State Department’s statements come as nearly all foreign aid workers report that USAID programs and assistance have been completely halted worldwide, including in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Ethiopia.
They also acknowledged that the agency’s accounts and access to financial resources have been frozen.
On his first day back in the White House, Donald Trump, the U.S. president, signed an executive order suspending all U.S. foreign aid for 90 days.