Rubio pauses foreign aid from State Department and USAID to ensure it puts ‘America First’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow the Trump administration to review if the money puts “America First.”

On Sunday, the State Department released a statement about falling in step with President Donald Trump’s executive order to reevaluate and realign foreign aid from the U.S.

“Consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, Secretary [Marco] Rubio has paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for review,” the statement read. “He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda. President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people.”

The statement continued, saying the review and alignment of foreign assistance on behalf of taxpayers is a “moral imperative,” adding that Rubio is proud to protect America’s investment “with a deliberate and judicious review” of how the money is spent on aiding foreign countries overseas.

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The front of the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) headquarters building is seen on September 15, 2014, in Washington, DC.

“The implementation of this Executive Order and the Secretary’s direction furthers that mission,” the statement read. “As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’”

The announcement comes after the Trump administration ordered staffers with USAID to stop providing foreign aid worldwide or face “disciplinary action” for not complying.

Reuters reported that the Trump administration sent a sharply-worded memo to more than 10,000 staff members at USAID on Saturday, offering a “stop-work” directive from Friday that put a freeze on U.S. foreign aid around the world.

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President Donald Trump wants all foriegn aid to put  “America First.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The wire service reviewed the memo and said it laid out expectations for the workforce on how to achieve Trump’s goals to put “America First.”

“We have a responsibility to support the President in achieving his vision,” Ken Jackson, assistant to the administrator for management and resources wrote in the internal memo, titled “Message and Expectation to the Workforce.”

“The President has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come,” the memo added. Reuters reported that it confirmed the authenticity of the memo with several sources.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid just hours after taking office, to review if the funding was in line with his foreign policy priorities.

On Friday, the State Department issued a pause on aid worldwide.

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The U.S. is the largest donor of aid globally. During fiscal year 2023, the U.S. dispersed $72 billion in assistance. It also provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.

Fox News Digital has reached out to USAID for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.