US secretary of state orders pause on most of existing US foreign aid

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a sweeping pause Friday on almost all of the State Department's existing foreign aid grants, according to reports by US and British media that obtained an internal memo specifying the order in the form of guidance.

Effective immediately and valid for 90 days, Rubio's guidance required State Department staffers to issue "stop-work orders" on nearly all "existing foreign assistance awards", US outlet Politico reported.

For exceptions, the guidance allows foreign military financing for Egypt and Israel to continue and allows emergency food assistance and "legitimate expenses incurred prior to the date of this" guidance "under existing awards".

At points, it also says the decisions need to be "consistent with the terms of the relevant award", the outlet added.

"No new funds shall be obligated for new awards or extensions of existing awards until each proposed new award or extension has been reviewed and approved ... as consistent with President Trump's agenda," The Guardian, a British newspaper that has also obtained the memo, cited the document as saying.

The memo said senior officials "shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance" until Rubio makes a decision after a review, according to The Guardian.

In their respective reports, both Politico and The Guardian noticed the memo's omission of current US military assistance to Ukraine, which the reports said has sent shock waves across the State Department.