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Rubio on goals, challenges in administration
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent an order to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts instructing a pause on “all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs funded by or through the Department and USAID.” The message was in line with the executive order President Trump signed on Monday to reevaluate U.S. foreign aid.
The order, which was obtained by CBS News, said that across the U.S. government, “it is currently impossible to access sufficient information in one place to determine whether the foreign assistance policies and interests supported by appropriations are not duplicated, are effective, and are consistent with President Trump’s foreign policy.”
Rubio’s order went on to say that the State Department “needs a centralized repository from which senior Department, USAID officials, Ambassadors, missions and others can draw sufficiently detailed information from which the Secretary can make judgments.” It added, “Further guidance regarding a new or updated repository and mandatory bureau submissions to it will be forthcoming.”
Under Rubio’s order, there is an 85-day deadline for a “government-wide comprehensive review of all foreign assistance” to be completed, and, it stated, “a report shall be produced to the Secretary of State for his consideration and recommendation to the President.”
The order also appears to impact current existing aid programs, stating, “For existing foreign assistance awards, contracting officers and grant officers shall immediately issue stop-work orders, consistent with the terms of the relevant award, until such time as the Secretary shall determine, following a review.”
However, Rubio indicated that U.S. foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt are exempt from the order, as well as emergency food assistance and “salaries and related administrative expenses, including travel, for U.S. direct hire employees, personal services contractors, and locally employed staff.” This includes exceptions to the pause approved by the State Department Director of Foreign Assistance Office.
CBS News has reached out to the State Department for comment.
In its last days, the Biden administration had reportedly diverted tens of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid originally intended for Egypt to go to Lebanon instead, to support the Lebanese Armed Forces following the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.
It is not immediately clear how the order will impact U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine and other countries.
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Camilla Schick is a British journalist in D.C. and CBS News’ Foreign Affairs Producer, covering U.S. foreign relations, the State Department and national security.
