USAID faces funding pause as U.S. directs $2 billion to faith-based groups

The United States is undergoing a major shift in its foreign assistance strategy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued a directive to stop-work and stop-spending on foreign assistance by all government departments and agencies. This includes a 90-day pause on United States foreign development assistance via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a move that human rights advocates warn could jeopardize vulnerable populations in regions such as Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Simultaneously, the Trump administration has announced the allocation of nearly $2 billion in humanitarian funding toward faith-based organizations. This includes $1.4 billion directed through the America First Global Health Strategy. Major recipients include World Vision, Compassion International, and Samaritan's Purse. The State Department described this as the largest allocation of global health foreign assistance to faith-based groups in over 20 years. Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical Christian organization, is set to receive $300 million over two years.