In Ghana and Kenya, essential supplies such as insecticide and mosquito nets remain unused in warehouses due to delays in U.S. approval for critical anti-malaria campaigns.
In Haiti, a medical team working to treat HIV patients awaits U.S. authorization to distribute medications that prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease.
In Myanmar, where famine threatens millions and the U.S. is the largest donor of humanitarian aid, a relief worker described the situation as nothing short of "mayhem."
Nearly three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump enacted a sweeping 90-day freeze on foreign aid, life-saving programs worldwide remain in limbo. Humanitarian workers are struggling to obtain U.S. government waivers necessary to resume their operations, according to numerous aid workers and U.N. officials who spoke to Reuters.
Following Trump’s announcement of the freeze on January 20, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued exemptions for what he termed “life-saving humanitarian assistance,” which included “core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance.”
However, aid organizations and U.N. officials report widespread confusion about the waivers, coupled with growing concerns that their U.S. funding may never be reinstated.
Many aid groups have been unable to resume their operations, as they must first confirm whether specific programs qualify for exemption. This process has been hindered by a breakdown in communication with U.S. officials, some of whom have been dismissed or are barred from engaging in discussions.
The lack of clarity appears to be intentional. On January 31, staff at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), once a key player in U.S. foreign aid distribution, were instructed not to communicate externally regarding the waivers or their scope. This directive was revealed in a previously unreported recording of a meeting reviewed by Reuters.
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the White House has responded to requests for comment on the situation.