Trump Administration Cancels $4.9 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid
The U.S. administration has decided to cancel approximately $4.9 billion in foreign aid programs that had previously been approved by Congress, including contributions to the United Nations budget and its specialized agencies.
The Office of Management and Budget at the White House announced in a message on the platform X that President Donald Trump utilized a rare mechanism known as “pocket rescission” to withdraw the funds, emphasizing that “the president will always put America’s interests first.”
According to a twenty-page document directed to Congress, this procedure was employed as the fiscal year came to an end on September 30, effectively preventing lawmakers from the legal timeframe (45 days) to reject the decision. This marks the first time the Trump administration has resorted to this mechanism.
The largest share of the cuts, amounting to $3.2 billion, targets development programs under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), while $521 million pertains to contributions to international organizations, including the United Nations, and $445 million to peacekeeping operations, alongside $393 million related to similar international activities.
