The US funding freeze on foreign aid has forced many UN agencies to cut staff, budgets and services in Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that more than nine million people in Afghanistan will be left without access to health and protection services. Cash transfers that helped one million people in Ukraine last year have been suspended.
The agencies most likely to be affected include the UN refugee agency, the World Health Organization, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and others. Last year, the UNHCR received more than 40 percent of its $5 billion budget from the United States.
The International Organization for Migration will receive more than 40 percent of its $3.4 billion budget from the United States in 2023. The Trump administration has been particularly harsh on the WHO. One of his early executive orders announced the US withdrawal from the UN health agency.
The World Health Organization says the global measles and rubella laboratory network is at risk of collapse because its nearly $8 million a year of support is funded entirely by the United States.
Department approval required for spending
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new guidelines. It says spending over $50,000 will now require approval from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. President Donald Trump has also ordered changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Under it, employees of nonprofit groups found to have engaged in improper activities will be disqualified. Congress created the program in 2007 to encourage careers in government or nonprofit groups.
