'Life or death consequences for millions': NGOs stunned by U.S. aid freeze

by Joris Fioriti with Cecil Morella in Manila and Joe Jackson in London

The freeze in aid funding by Donald Trump's new U.S. administration has left humanitarian workers seeing a large proportion of their budget cut off and fearing millions will be affected as programs are suspended.

On January 24, four days after Trump returned to power, NGOs linked to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) received a first letter asking them to cease all activities funded by the agency.

A week later, a second letter, seen by AFP, authorized them to resume certain missions intended for "life-saving humanitarian assistance".

But the terms used are vague and the NGOs say they feel lost.

The new administration has launched stinging attacks on USAID -- which Trump claimed was "run by radical lunatics" and his ally and advisor, the world's richest person Elon Musk, has described as a "criminal organization".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now its acting director, vowing to put an end to its "insubordination".

Global and regional NGOs told AFP in interviews that the effect to their work has been immediate and warned the move could also erode US influence worldwide.

- Solidarites International -

Kevin Goldberg, director of French NGO Solidarites International, said that the move has already forced the pausing of certain aid operations in countries including Mozambique, Syria and Yemen.

"Today, the United States is debating the future of its development agency. But this subject concerns the entire planet," he said.

"We know that this is a sector that, in any case, must innovate," he said.

"But to stop everything overnight, to not take into account at all the fact that we are talking about millions of human lives, that's crazy."

He said the unclear instructions from the U.S. administration could prevent some charities from risking going ahead with programs in case they then had to foot their costs themselves.

"It's like trying to drive with a massive spoke in the wheel," he said.

- Oxfam America -

Daryl Grisgraber, humanitarian policy lead for Oxfam America, said that change was likely to be drastic.

"It really will have a potentially life or death consequences for millions of people.

"At the end of those 90 days, it's very likely there are going to be huge cuts on what aid can continue to move.

"So there is effectively a pause on all future funding as well," he said.

"We have been looking at it as really basically a cynical power play. This is going to put lives in danger and it's unacceptable as a representation of United States values and interest in the world."

- Balay Rehabilitation Center -

The centre, which provides psycho-social counseling and other help for survivors of torture in the conflict-plagued southern Philippines, said it was already feeling the effects of Trump's policy.

"We are still in limbo as to whether this project will continue or not," said executive director Josephine Lascano.

She said she had already been forced to suspend a program that was helping "about 20" victims of violence.

The Philippines received close to $190 million in USAID funding in 2023.

- MSI Reproductive Choices -

Beth Schlachter, senior director of US external relations at sexual and reproductive healthcare provider MSI Reproductive Choices, said it was fully aware that nearly 10 percent of its budget from the US government could disappear.

"There's a lot of chaos that's going to play out, or starting to play out already, at the country level," she said.

"Our... colleagues who are running these programs in the countries are already feeling just the fear and the chaos of not knowing what will be supported and what will go away.

"Money is power... You can't just wield this kind of destruction and then expect to still have a seat at the table and to have the kind of influence that you want to have."

- InterAction -

Tom Hart, CEO of InterAction, an alliance of NGOs and partners in the United States, said bringing life-saving programs to a halt was "counterproductive to this administration's own stated goals".

"Where we stand today is children going without education and mothers not receiving prenatal care," he added.

© Agence France-Presse