KATHMANDU: The U.S. State Department, following President Donald Trump’s review of aid alignment with his foreign policy, issued a directive that included waivers for military financing for Israel and Egypt but excluded mentions of other countries. Here’s the original text of the cable sent to embassies and diplomatic mission worldwide:

MRN: 25 STATE 6828

Date/DTG: Jan 24, 2025 / 241600Z JAN 25

From: SECSTATE WASHDC

Action: ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE

Immediate

E.O.: 13526

TAGS: PREL, AID, EAID

Subject: Executive Order on Review of Foreign Assistance Programs

1. (U) Consistent with the President’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, this ALDAC pauses all new obligations of funding, pending a review, for foreign assistance programs funded by or through the Department and USAID.

2. (U) Across the United States government, it is currently impossible to access sufficient information in one place to determine whether the foreign assistance policies and interests supported by appropriations are not duplicated, are effective, and are consistent with President Trump’s foreign policy. The Department needs a centralized repository from which senior Department, USAID officials, Ambassadors, missions and others can draw sufficiently detailed information from which the Secretary can make judgments.

Further guidance regarding a new or updated repository and mandatory bureau submissions to it will be forthcoming.

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN

3. (U) Within thirty (30) days, the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (S/P) or its designate shall develop appropriate review standards and collaborate with the Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance (F), the Office of Budget and Planning (BP), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and/or other departments and agencies as appropriate to ensure that all foreign assistance is aligned with President Trump’s foreign policy agenda and that data regarding all foreign assistance spending in the future is aggregated and inputted into a comprehensive internal Department repository.

4. (U) Within eighty-five (85) days of this ALDAC, the government-wide comprehensive review of all foreign assistance shall be completed, and a report shall be produced to the Secretary of State for his consideration and recommendation to the President.

5. (U) In keeping with one voice of American foreign policy, the United States government, through any department, agency or entity, shall not provide foreign assistance funded by or through the Department and USAID without the Secretary of State’s authorization or the authorization of his designee.

6. (U) All U.S. foreign assistance shall be aligned under the Secretary of State’s coordination, direction, and supervision, as appropriate, consistent with section 622(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and section 1523 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (FARRA) within 180 days.

7. (U) Effective immediately, Assistant Secretaries and Senior Bureau Officials shall ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance until such time as the Secretary shall determine, following a review. For existing foreign assistance awards, contracting officers and grant officers shall immediately issue stop-work orders, consistent with the terms of the relevant award, until such time as the Secretary shall determine, following a review. Decisions whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs will be made following this review.

8. (U) Effective immediately, pending a review of foreign assistance programs: no new requests for proposals (RFPs), requests for application (RFAs), notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), or any other kind of solicitation or request for foreign assistance funding shall be published or processed by the Department, USAID, or other agencies implementing programs funded by the Department or USAID until each has been reviewed and approved by F as consistent with the President’s policy; no further technical evaluation committees shall be convened; and there shall be no further funding obligated to awards and contracts or indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts.

9. (U) Effective immediately, I am suspending the review process for proposals for new foreign assistance grants, subgrants, contracts, or subcontracts. 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 by F as consistent with the President Trump’s agenda.

10. (U) Within thirty (30) days of the issuance of the review standards in paragraph 4, every Bureau, agency office and entity providing any type of foreign assistance shall produce to F for review a list of all active, pending, or proposed grants, subcontracts, contracts, or subcontracts, and provide a clear and concise statement explaining if and how the current or proposed use of obligated funds advances President Trump’s policy.

11. (U) The spokesperson will also release a public statement to this effect.

12. (U) The Secretary of State has approved waivers of the pause under the Executive Order and this ALDAC, subject to further review, with respect to:

(a) foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to administer foreign military financing;

(b)emergency food assistance and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to administer such assistance;

(c) on a temporary basis, salaries and related administrative expenses, including travel, for U.S. direct hire employees, personal services contractors, and locally employed staff;

(d)legitimate expenses incurred prior to the date of this ALDAC under existing awards or legitimate expenses associated with stop-work orders; and

(e)exceptions to the pause approved by the Director of Foreign
Assistance.

DEFINITIONS

13. (U) Only for purposes of this ALDAC, foreign assistance means assistance funded from accounts in titles Ill and IV and from International Organizations and Programs in the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Acts.

Signature: RUBIO

Drafted By: S/TT: Marocco, Peter

Cleared By:

S/TT: Holler, Daniel

L: Visek, Richard

L: Dorosin, Joshua S/TT: Anton, Michael

C: Needham, Michael

Approved By: S: Rubio, Marco

Released By: POEMS_P: Acker, Vanessa G