Fact Check: "Trump froze all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days in his second term."
What We Know
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid”, which mandated a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign development assistance. This order was aimed at assessing the efficiency and alignment of foreign aid programs with U.S. foreign policy. The order explicitly instructed all department and agency heads responsible for foreign assistance programs to halt new obligations and disbursements of funds pending a comprehensive review.
According to a report by NPR, this executive order effectively froze virtually all foreign aid programs that rely on U.S. funding. The State Department subsequently issued a memo detailing the "stop work" order for these programs, which would require them to cease operations until the review was completed. The memo indicated that the review process was expected to conclude within 85 days, and it was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The executive order and subsequent actions were widely reported, including by AP News and The New York Times, confirming that the freeze applied to most foreign assistance programs, with exceptions for certain types of aid, such as emergency food assistance and aid to Israel and Egypt.
Analysis
The claim that Trump froze all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days is substantiated by multiple credible sources. The executive order itself, available on the White House website, clearly outlines the directive for a 90-day pause in foreign aid to allow for a review of programmatic efficiencies. This official document serves as a primary source confirming the claim.
Moreover, the NPR report provides additional context about the implications of this freeze, detailing how it affected organizations dependent on U.S. funding and the potential consequences for humanitarian efforts globally. The report's reliance on internal memos and statements from officials at USAID adds to its credibility, as it reflects direct insights from those impacted by the policy.
While some sources noted that certain types of aid were exempt from the freeze, such as military aid to Israel and Egypt, the overarching claim that Trump froze foreign assistance for 90 days remains accurate. The executive order and its implementation were also covered by other reputable news outlets, including Reuters and the Kaiser Family Foundation, which corroborated the timeline and details of the freeze.
Conclusion
Verdict: True
The claim that Trump froze all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days during his second term is accurate. The executive order signed on January 20, 2025, explicitly mandated a pause in foreign aid programs to conduct a review, and this directive was implemented as reported by multiple credible sources.
Sources
- Reevaluating And Realigning United States Foreign Aid - White House
- U.S. puts virtually all foreign aid on 90-day hold, issues 'stop-work' order - NPR
- Trump suspends US foreign assistance for 90 days pending reviews - AP News
- Here Is What to Know About U.S. Foreign Aid and the Trump Freeze - The New York Times
- Executive Order 14169 - Wikipedia
- Trump pauses US foreign development aid for 90 days - Reuters
- U.S. Foreign Aid Freeze & Dissolution of USAID: Timeline of Events - Kaiser Family Foundation
