MANILA, Philippines – The United States is “pausing” all its foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to make way for a comprehensive review.
In a press statement, the Office of the Spokesperson announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has paused all foreign aid to make way for the implementation of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that all foreign assistance will undergo re-evaluation and realigning “to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."
“President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative,” the statement read.
“The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas,” the statement added.
According to the statement, the mandate from the American people was clear – to focus on American national interests.
“The Department and USAID take their role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously. The implementation of this Executive Order and the Secretary’s direction furthers that mission,” the State Department explained.
Quoting Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said that, “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?”
Engagements with U.S. to continue “on this matter” – DFA
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will continue to engage the U.S. government on the matter, saying that the Philippines and United States alliance is important to securing economic and regional cooperation, as well as strengthening security.
“The Department understands that the US Department of State as well as other relevant US government agencies involved in the aid program are studying the executive order and how it will impact on US partnerships,” the DFA statement read.
“The Department will continue to engage the US government on this matter. In their recent phone conversation, Secretary Manalo and Secretary Rubio underscored the importance of PH-US alliance and committed to work towards strengthening security, economic and regional cooperation,” the DFA added.
U.S. Foreign Assistance to the Philippines
According to ForeignAssistance.gov, the U.S. government’s flagship website for making U.S. foreign assistance data available to the public, the United States has USD 68 billion in total current obligations.
These are binding agreements that will result in outlays, immediately or in the future. According to the website, budget resources must be available before obligations can be legally incurred.
In the Philippines, the United States has USD 258,476,776 in total obligations as of December 2024.
The USAID, as a managing agency, has the highest obligation and disbursement of U.S. foreign assistance worldwide, with USD 42.45 billion, followed by the Department of State with USD 18.89 billion. Also in the list is the Department of Treasury, Department of Health and Human Services, Millenium Challenge Corporation, Peace Corps, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and others.
According to the website, the managing agency obligates and disburses the U.S. foreign assistance, either directly or via an implementing partner entity.
