Among the cascade of executive orders signed by Donald Trump on January 20, the day he took office, one is already sending shockwaves with devastating consequences. The US president has ordered the suspension of all American foreign aid programs for 90 days, with the exception of emergency food aid and military assistance to Israel and Egypt.

The decision, as radical as it is controversial, has three objectives: to re-evaluate current programs, to align personnel with ideological criteria and to drastically reduce spending. Since its implementation, the presidential decree has caused chaos and panic throughout the world, particularly in the most vulnerable countries, which are heavily dependent on American aid. It has also plunged US personnel working in numerous missions into uncertainty, with the risk of losing their jobs.

The shock is proportional to the weight of the US in foreign aid. Present in 158 countries through USAID, the US development aid agency, it is by far the world's largest donor. By 2023, total US foreign aid reached $64.7 billion (€62.4 billion), according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – representing around 1% of the US federal budget. Humanitarian aid tops the list (25%), followed by capacity-building for governments and civil society (20%) and health initiatives (12%).

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