Exclusive: Trump administration moves to restore some terminated foreign aid programs, sources say

Source: Reuters

April 9, 2025 12:58 PM EDT Updated 7 hours ago


WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday moved to reinstate at least six recently canceled U.S. foreign aid programs for emergency food assistance, six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The quick reversal of decisions made just days ago underscored the rapid-fire nature of Trump's cuts to foreign aid. That has led to programs being cut, restored then cut again, disrupting international humanitarian operations.

USAID Acting Deputy Administrator Jeremy Lewin, who has previously been identified as a member of billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, asked staff in an internal email to reverse the terminations. He asked to restore awards to the World Food Programme in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq and Ecuador, five sources familiar with the matter said.

The administration has also resumed four awards to the International Organization for Migration in the Pacific region, two sources familiar with the matter said. "Sorry for all the back and forth on awards," Lewin said on Tuesday in the internal email seen by Reuters. "There are a lot of stakeholders and we need to do better about balancing these competing interests — that’s my fault and I take responsibility," he added.

Reuters reported on Monday that the Trump administration had ended life-saving aid programs for more than a dozen countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Syria, totaling over $1.3 billion. According to Stand Up For Aid, an advocacy group of current and former U.S. officials, WFP contracts canceled on Lewin’s orders last weekend for Lebanon, Syria, Somalia and Jordan totaled more than $463 million.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-moves-restore-some-terminated-foreign-aid-programs-sources-2025-04-08/