After Donald Trump froze nearly all U.S. foreign aid last week, international projects on health, education, food, and all other humanitarian areas were placed in jeopardy. On Tuesday night, newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to undo some of the confusion by issuing a memo waiving the aid freeze for “livesaving humanitarian assistance.

Health and humanitarian groups around the world were still uncertain on January 29 if and how they could resume work after the United States issued a waiver for “life-saving” assistance in President Donald Trump’s freeze on U.S. foreign aid.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has ordered an immediate halt to work on virtually all existing foreign aid programmes pending a review into whether they are consistent with President Donald Trump’s policies, according to an internal cable seen by the Financial Times.

By Jennifer Rigby, Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Maggie Fick LONDON (Reuters) - Health and humanitarian groups around the world were still uncertain on Wednesday if and how they could resume work after the United States issued a waiver for "life-saving" assistance in President Donald Trump's freeze on U.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced exemptions in the freeze on foreign assistance, continuing funding for humanitarian items like shelter and medicine. President Trump had ordered a 90-day pause on assistance.

Exemptions include humanitarian assistance such as core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance

In a follow-up memo after an outcry from aid groups, Rubio clarified that other “humanitarian assistance” besides food would also be exempt during the review period. Humanitarian assistance was defined as “core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance”.

The United States froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, sent an internal memo days after Donald Trump took office vowing an “America First” policy of tightly restricted assistance overseas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued an executive order suspending new foreign ... The exceptions will be aid to Israel and Egypt, emergency food aid and U.S. personnel costs. According to CBS News, the Biden administration redirected some military ...

US diplomats have requested an urgent exemption for Ukraine-related programmes from a 90-day freeze on foreign aid and “stop work” orders issued by secretary of state Marco Rubio, according to documents seen by the Financial Times and people familiar with the matter.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump pushes for all government departments to prioritise ‘America First’.

According to the spokesman, 80,000 Afghans have been resettled in various countries, while more than 40,000 remain in limbo. Among them, 25,000 were expected to be relocated to the US. Under the initial agreement with the US, the resettlement process was scheduled for completion by September 2025.