Foreign aid organization officials are in a panic over Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on foreign aid. Supply shipments sit unmoved around the world and cash flow has frozen. Security guards at refugee camps, doctors in field offices and even U.S. employees working for nongovernmental organizations don’t know if they still have jobs. Some aid officials are already talking about whether their organizations could go bankrupt.
And while they hope that Congress or the White House will step in to help, thus far many Republicans are brushing off the foreign aid pause.
Trump announced a 90-day pause on foreign aid on Friday, a few days before his administration’s surprise freeze on federal aid within the United States (the latter has been temporarily blocked in federal court). The pause may be temporary, but workers from aid organizations say it’s already putting their work at risk — from lifesaving programs to those they consider vital for foreign relations — and causing serious confusion.