In a surprising policy reversal, the Trump administration has decided to reinstate several critical foreign aid programs just days after cutting them, according to six informed sources. This rapid about-face has brought renewed attention to the chaotic nature of the administration’s handling of U.S. humanitarian support overseas.
The aid programs in question—at least six in total—were part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s emergency food assistance efforts. These include large-scale initiatives in crisis-hit regions such as Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador. Also being revived are four key awards to the International Organization for Migration, particularly in the Pacific.
Acting USAID Deputy Administrator Jeremy Lewin, reportedly associated with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, admitted in an internal email that the decision-making process had been turbulent. “Sorry for all the back and forth on awards,” Lewin wrote. “We need to do better about balancing competing interests. That’s on me.”
Just a day earlier, Reuters had reported that the Trump administration terminated over $1.3 billion in life-saving aid, affecting more than a dozen countries, including Afghanistan and Yemen—two regions already ravaged by war and humanitarian crises.
The decision to reinstate some of these programs came under intense internal and congressional pressure. Lawmakers and officials voiced serious concerns about the impact on millions of vulnerable people, especially as several of the cancelled awards had already been granted waivers by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Advocacy group Stand Up For Aid revealed that over $463 million worth of contracts with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, and Jordan were abruptly canceled on Lewin’s orders last weekend. These programs are vital, providing food assistance, child nutrition programs, and air support for humanitarian operations.
One particularly jarring cut included $169.8 million earmarked for Somalia. The funding was meant to feed malnourished children and support emergency logistics in remote areas. Syria also saw a major reduction, with $111 million pulled from critical food aid projects.
The World Food Programme issued a stark warning on Monday, describing the cuts as potentially “a death sentence” for millions already on the brink of starvation.
Despite the partial reversal, aid to Afghanistan and Yemen remains suspended. The U.S. State Department cited concerns that humanitarian funds in those countries were being diverted to extremist groups—the Taliban and Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce addressed the issue in a press briefing, acknowledging that “a few programs” were mistakenly cut and have now been reinstated. However, she reinforced that the administration still supports U.S. foreign aid—albeit under stricter scrutiny.
This episode highlights ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to scale back USAID. Since President Trump began his second term in January, billions of dollars in foreign aid have been canceled as part of what insiders describe as a disorganized and chaotic restructuring of U.S. global assistance.
In response, Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wrote to Secretary Rubio, strongly opposing plans to merge USAID with the State Department. They called the move “unconstitutional, illegal, unjustified, damaging, and inefficient.”
The back-and-forth decisions continue to send shockwaves through international aid circles—raising serious questions about America’s commitment to global humanitarian leadership.
