Rubio Ends All Foreign Aid (except for well, y'know)

[CaptUSA]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-orders-halt-to-almost-all-u-s-foreign-aid/ar-AA1xOYbk?ocid=msedgntp&pc=LCTS&cvid=aa435886297f45cabe422519b0a38e5e&ei=13

Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered an immediate stop to the flow of almost all U.S. foreign assistance Friday pending a review, according to an internal State Department cable obtained by NBC News.

The directive sent to all consular and diplomatic posts follows President Donald Trump’s executive order Monday pausing new obligations and disbursements of foreign aid pending reviews "for programmatic efficiency and consistency" with U.S. foreign policy, within 90 days of the order.

The memo stipulates that U.S. departments, agencies and entities “shall not provide foreign assistance funded by or through the Department and USAID without the Secretary of State’s authorization or the authorization of his designee."

Rubio issued a waiver for foreign military financing for both Israel and Egypt but no other countries were specifically mentioned in the cable. Rubio spoke with both his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts Thursday ahead of the directive.

A waiver was also approved for “emergency food assistance and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to administer such assistance.” The salaries of U.S. direct hire employees and locally employed staff also received a waiver on a “temporary basis."

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel and Egypt are among the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid. Israel receives roughly $3.3 billion annually in U.S. assistance. Egypt receives about $1.5 billion each year.

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal this month after 15 months of war that has killed thousands of people in the Gaza strip and left uncertainty around the future of hostages held captive by Hamas.

It is not immediately clear if Rubio's directive will hold up under U.S. law.

“To impound these funds would be unconstitutional. Absolutely,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday in response to the announced freeze. <more at link>

 

[Anti Globalist]

Of course the small hat club is going to continue getting their foreign aid.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Goyim heathen, how dare you even speak of cutting off the money to God's All Stars.

 

[Swordsmyth]

Ukraine got hit though, that's better than nothing.

 

[wizardwatson]

Ukraine got hit though, that's better than nothing.

Yeah, I thought that too at first. But not the case.

So, it's the NGO, DEI, CIA coup-meddling money, but not the actual things that directly kill people.

 

[unknown]

Please use the terms: "foreign welfare".

 

[Swordsmyth]

Yeah, I thought that too at first. But not the case.

So, it's the NGO, DEI, CIA coup-meddling money, but not the actual things that directly kill people.

Guess again:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio halted spending Friday on most existing foreign aid grants for 90 days. The order, which shocked State Department officials, appears to apply to funding for military assistance to Ukraine.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/24/state-department-foreign-aid-pause-00200510

 

[wizardwatson]

Guess again:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio halted spending Friday on most existing foreign aid grants for 90 days. The order, which shocked State Department officials, appears to apply to funding for military assistance to Ukraine.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/24/state-department-foreign-aid-pause-00200510

Asking GroK:

PROMPT: Does the EO Trump signed for a 90-day halt to foreign aid apply to the State Department only or also Pentagon money for military aid? There is some confusion on whether or not this is actually going to affect Ukraine military aid.

GROK: The executive order (EO) signed by President Donald Trump for a 90-day halt on foreign aid primarily targets development assistance programs managed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to various sources, this order does not apply to military aid, particularly the security assistance provided by the Pentagon. Here's a breakdown based on available information:

State Department and USAID: The EO explicitly calls for a pause in obligations and disbursements for development programs, which would include non-military aid like economic, humanitarian, and health initiatives. This has led to confusion and concern about the impact on countries like Ukraine that receive significant U.S. aid in these areas.


Pentagon and Military Aid: Multiple confirmations have been made by the Pentagon that this EO does not impact military support to Ukraine. Security assistance, including funds under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and weapons deliveries from U.S. warehouses under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), remains unaffected. This is because military aid falls under different budgetary and legal frameworks managed by the Department of Defense, which are not covered by the EO's stipulations.



Public Clarifications: There has been significant clarification on social media and through news outlets that the military aid to Ukraine is not subject to this pause, focusing on the distinction between development aid and military assistance. Posts on X have emphasized that the EO specifically targets non-military aid, leaving military aid untouched.



In conclusion, while the EO does affect U.S. foreign aid through the State Department, it does not extend to military aid managed by the Pentagon, ensuring that military support to Ukraine continues as planned. However, the broader implications for development and humanitarian aid in Ukraine might still be significant, depending on how the review process unfolds.

Isn't this crux of the matter in the article text you posted?

It "appears" to apply to funding...

Everything about Trump is "appears". He appears to tell the truth. He appears to want to end the war. He appears to be doing something significant about immigration.

Still have my money on Iran war in the spring, and all this first couple weeks of bread and circus will be seen as what it was meant to be all along, a way to solidify the base so that it has the stomach for war.

 

[WarriorLiberty]

The Media demands that Ukraine aid must continue!
Or the Ukrainian infrastructure like schools will be impacted.

The majority of this aid goes to the military it never goes to the Ukrainian infrastructure.

 

[unknown]

Here we go...

Hostages, huh, sounds familiar.

https://x.com/secrubio/status/1883296982346944822

 

[Swordsmyth]

Asking GroK:





Isn't this crux of the matter in the article text you posted?

It "appears" to apply to funding...

Everything about Trump is "appears". He appears to tell the truth. He appears to want to end the war. He appears to be doing something significant about immigration.

Still have my money on Iran war in the spring, and all this first couple weeks of bread and circus will be seen as what it was meant to be all along, a way to solidify the base so that it has the stomach for war.

Several US diplomats have urged the State Department to make an exception for Ukraine-related programs after President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping suspension on foreign aid, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Trump’s order potentially jeopardizes support for Ukrainian schools, hospitals, and infrastructure development, although military aid remains intact, according to the newspaper.
Acting on behalf of the US president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued instructions on Friday to suspend any new foreign aid expenditure for 90 days. Contracting and grant officers from the State Department and USAID were directed to “immediately issue stop-work orders… until such time as the secretary shall determine, following a review,” according to a leaked cable cited by the FT.
The newspaper claimed that by Saturday evening, several organizations in Ukraine had received orders to stop their operations until further notice.
However, USAID in Ukraine has generally chosen to defy Rubio’s decree to issue “stop work” orders until it receives more clarification from Washington, the FT claimed. American diplomats campaigning for aid to Kiev to be unfrozen reportedly hope that they will be able to win Rubio over. “We do not know at this time whether this request will be approved — in whole or in part — but there are positive signals thus far out of Washington,” an email sent to USAID staff in Ukraine on Saturday said, according to the newspaper.


The outlet claims that Rubio’s order endangers support for the development of Ukrainian infrastructure, energy, and economy projects, while not affecting American military assistance. The FT quotes an unnamed Ukrainian government official as saying that “military aid to Ukraine is intact. At least as of now, and it is certainly not part of this 90-day freeze.”
The pause in US foreign development aid was announced by President Trump on Monday, just hours after his inauguration. The freeze aims to review the effectiveness and alignment of aid with US foreign policy objectives. The only exceptions are military financing for Israel and Egypt, as well as foreign emergency food aid. Ukraine was not part of the list of exceptions.
Since February 2022, the US has provided over $65 billion in military aid to Kiev, according to the State Department. However, Trump has been skeptical of the assistance, saying Ukraine has “had enough” and that it is time for a peace agreement to be reached with Russia. His team is reportedly aiming to end the conflict between Kiev and Moscow in 100 days, threatening Russia with more sanctions if it does not agree to negotiate. While Moscow remains skeptical about the timeline, it has signaled a willingness to engage in talks.

https://www.rt.com/news/611659-us-officials-urge-unfreeze-ukraine-aid/




He DOES tell the truth, he IS ending the war, he IS doing many significant things on immigration and will do much more.
There will be no war with Iran.

The bureaucracy is resisting but it will fail.

 

[Swordsmyth]

American officials at the State Department are striving to maintain aid to Ukraine despite the announcement of a freeze on foreign aid by the new Secretary of State, reports the "Financial Times." It remains unclear what impact this decision will have.

High-ranking diplomats in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs have appealed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to exclude support for Ukraine from the memorandum suspending foreign aid for 90 days, issued by him on Friday. Rubio has already made exceptions for Israel and Egypt, as well as emergency food programs, but Ukraine was not included.

More at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/...to-secure-ukraine-aid-amid-freeze/ar-AA1xTjho


The Trump administration has put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), sources familiar with the matter said, after Washington put a sweeping freeze on U.S. aid worldwide.
The administration on Saturday urged USAID staff to help transform how Washington allocates aid around the world in line with Trump's "America First" policy and threatened "disciplinary action" for any staff ignoring its orders.

An internal memo sent to USAID employees on Monday evening said the new leadership identified several actions in the agency that "appeared to be designed to circumvent the President's Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people."
"As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions," Acting Administrator Jason Gray said in the memo, reviewed by Reuters.

The memo did not spell out how many people were affected by the decision, but six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that it was around 57 to 60 people.
Those being put on leave comprised career staff in the leadership positions of almost all USAID bureaus based in Washington, with roles ranging from energy security to water security, children's education and digital technology, two of the sources said. Staff in the agency's general counsel's office were among those targeted.
"People are calling it the Monday afternoon massacre," said Francisco Bencosme, who was USAID's China policy lead until earlier this month.

Officials put on leave said they received an email with a memo on Monday afternoon informing them they were being placed on excused absence, otherwise known as administrative leave, effective immediately, and no reason was provided.
It said they must be available by telephone and email during normal work hours and must remain available to report to work if directed to do so, but were not to enter USAID premises or access USAID systems.
One senior official put on leave said they had sought to help implement the executive orders.
"This is a serious dismantling of an entire agency," the official said.

Since returning to office last week, the administration has reassigned or fired hundreds of workers in several agencies, aiming to fulfill Trump's vow to remake a federal bureaucracy he believes was hostile to him during his 2017-2021 presidency.
Hours after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign aid to review if it was aligned with his foreign policy priorities. On Friday, the State Department issued a stop-work order worldwide even for existing assistance.
A second memo on Saturday made it clear to USAID staff that the pause on foreign aid spending meant “a complete halt”. The only exceptions are for emergency humanitarian food assistance and for officials returning to their duty stations.

More at: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tr...aid-career-staff-after-aid-freeze-2025-01-28/

 

[wizardwatson]

He DOES tell the truth, he IS ending the war, he IS doing many significant things on immigration and will do much more.
There will be no war with Iran.

The bureaucracy is resisting but it will fail.

Sure, Trump will end the war the same way America ended WWII. That being, we take the credit and Russia does all the work.

Ukraine has no military. Their forcing infantry into a meat grinder at gunpoint while trying to fly drones into Russia nuclear power plants.

Trump and Hegseth the crusader will do whatever their masters tell them to including destroy this country. That is my belief.

All of these EO's are Kabuki theater. They lack substance and many of them are illegal and the court battles will commence. But the divisiveness just plays into the MAGA cult. The only usefulness I see in such a cult is that right-wing troop worshippers are great when a country is about to go to war.

Love to be proven wrong. Let's give it six months.

 

[Swordsmyth]

Sure, Trump will end the war the same way America ended WWII. That being, we take the credit and Russia does all the work.

That is a lie, Russia wasted far more men, but that doesn't mean they did the work, without lend lease from our industry and agriculture they would have lost, they also would have lost without our strategic bombing campaign and the western front.
I know hating America is fashionable in libertarian circles, but try to stick to the true things at least.

Trump is ending the war by cutting off Ukraine.

Trump and Hegseth the crusader will do whatever their masters tell them to including destroy this country. That is my belief.

Yes, you choose to believe that in spite of all the facts because it lets you feel superior.

All of these EO's are Kabuki theater. They lack substance and many of them are illegal and the court battles will commence. But the divisiveness just plays into the MAGA cult. The only usefulness I see in such a cult is that right-wing troop worshippers are great when a country is about to go to war.

Love to be proven wrong. Let's give it six months.

Assolute garbage.

 

[Swordsmyth]

Ukrainian Media Outlets Start Asking For Donations After US Funding Is Paused

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...tart-asking-donations-after-us-funding-paused

 

[wizardwatson]

That is a lie, Russia wasted far more men, but that doesn't mean they did the work, without lend lease from our industry and agriculture they would have lost, they also would have lost without our strategic bombing campaign and the western front.
I know hating America is fashionable in libertarian circles, but try to stick to the true things at least.

Trump is ending the war by cutting off Ukraine.




Yes, you choose to believe that in spite of all the facts because it lets you feel superior.



Assolute garbage.

You know, all the Trump shills showed up circa 2015, about a year before your supposed join date shown by your anonymous profile. Now commenting on Trump is about all this forum does.

I "believe" Trump was President for four years and acted pretty much the same as every other president. Now, he's not even been in 10 days and anyone who questions his authenticity as the chosen one is "in denial".

All I'm saying is let's give it some time before we crucify all the heretics.

 

[Swordsmyth]

You know, all the Trump shills showed up circa 2015, about a year before your supposed join date shown by your anonymous profile. Now commenting on Trump is about all this forum does.

You think?
What else do you expect people to talk about in a political forum than the guy who was President, was running for the 4 years of Biden, and won again?
It seems to me that O'Bummer was talked about quite a bit here as well, along with Biden.

I "believe" Trump was President for four years and acted pretty much the same as every other president. Now, he's not even been in 10 days and anyone who questions his authenticity as the chosen one is "in denial".

He acted very much different from the others last time, and he's acting even more different now.

 

[wizardwatson]

You think?
What else do you expect people to talk about in a political forum than the guy who was President, was running for the 4 years of Biden, and won again?

Something more productive, I suppose.

 

[Snowball]

Goyim heathen, how dare you even speak of cutting off the money to God's All Stars.

Plus the new shipment of 2,000 pound bombs, so they can kill more girls pulling horse carts
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-confirms-lifting-hold-on-delivery-of-2000-pound-bombs-to-israel/

So much for "leverage". And Bibilzebub is the first foreign leader coming to the White House Ⓤ.

 

[unknown]

Even a busted clock...