The Trump administration has dialed back its sweeping, sudden freeze on international aid, issuing a new order stipulating that operations providing lifesaving medical care and serving other humanitarian purposes can continue.
But the precise meaning of the new directive is not yet clear. As of Wednesday morning, many advocates and experts were waiting for State Department officials to specify what remains subject to the freeze and what doesn’t.
The new order is a reaction to the confusion and chaos that has prevailed for days, in Washington and around the world, following a Friday memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that ordered all foreign aid operations to “stop work” for 90 days. During that period, the Friday order said, the State Department would conduct a review to make sure the services and supports in existing foreign aid programs are consistent with President Donald Trump’s priorities.
In response to the Friday order, some U.S.-funded organizations abroad had…
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