ISLAMABAD: The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has paused all funding for programmes in Pakistan following the Trump administration’s decision to halt all foreign aid on January 20, barring that to Egypt and Israel.

“Thank you for your message concerning President Trump’s executive order on re-evaluating and realigning US foreign aid. We have been asked to refer all media queries on the President’s Executive Orders to the White House”, an email received from US Embassy Islamabad stated.

After US President Donald Trump issued the executive order on “Re-evaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid” on January 20, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent out a memo stopping all foreign aid during a 90-day reassessment period with the exception of Israel and Egypt.

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According to the US government’s Foreign Assistance website, the disbursements for Pakistan declined from $169.8 million in 2023 to $116.5 million in 2024.

According to the portal, the main sectors for assistance in 2024 were basic health ($21.53 million), disaster prevention and preparedness ($14.01 million), business and other services ($13.34 million), energy ($12.04 million), conflict, peace and security ($11.7 million), government and civil society ($6.608 million), agriculture ($4.823million), emergency response ($3.3 million), other multi-sector ($5.003 million), while operating expenses accounted for $15.6 million.

During his first tenure, on January 2, 2018, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States had foolishly handed Pakistan more than $33 billion over 15 years while getting nothing in return, and pledged to put a stop to it. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter.“

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025