Tanzania likely to be impacted as Trump halts foreign aid for 90 days
U.S. President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025. PHOTO | REUTERS
What you need to know:
- The directive, issued on Monday, 20 January 2025, just hours after Trump’s second-term inauguration, was described as an executive order signed by the President.
Dar es Salaam. One day after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated, he suspended foreign development aid for 90 days to allow for an evaluation of its effectiveness and alignment with his foreign policy.
The directive, issued on Monday, 20 January 2025, just hours after Trump’s second-term inauguration, was described as an executive order signed by the President.
"All department and agency heads responsible for U.S. foreign development aid programmes are to immediately halt new activities and expenditures for development aid," the order stated.
This suspension includes aid that has impacted countries such as Tanzania, including assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been instrumental in supporting various projects, including the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to combat HIV/AIDS.
It was not immediately clear to what extent this order was intended to apply or which programmes, countries, non-governmental organisations, and international agencies would be affected by the measure.
It was also uncertain what funds might be cut, given that the U.S. Congress sets the federal government budget.
This executive order reflects the stance Trump adopted during his first term from 2017 to 2021. Upon assuming office, he proposed slashing nearly a third of the U.S. diplomacy and aid budgets, including significantly reducing funding for United Nations peacekeeping operations and international agencies. However, Congress at the time resisted Trump’s proposals.
At the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in 2018, Trump expressed frustration, stating that the U.S. was the largest donor of foreign aid, “But few give us anything back."
"That is why we are taking a hard look at U.S. foreign aid," he said. "Going forward, we will only provide foreign aid to those who respect us and, quite frankly, are our friends," President Trump declared during his first term.
