In January 2025, the Trump administration abruptly froze nearly all US foreign aid to conduct a 90-day review to ensure they align with his new America-centred policies.
Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it effectively froze bank accounts, closed offices, and dismissed tens of thousands of aid workers globally. This also cut off up to $1bn in payments for contracts already fulfilled. However, these actions have been recently challenged by the Supreme Court.
Besides foreign aid provided via USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the biggest dispenser of US foreign aid—US foreign assistance— includes other types of aid, including military, financial, humanitarian, and other. USAID disbursed almost $36bn in the fiscal year of 2024, which represents around 67% of all US foreign aid.
Israel is currently the largest beneficiary of US foreign aid, receiving $6.8bn in 2024, followed by Ukraine with $6.5bn. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US have provided $66.5bn in military assistance to Ukraine in total. As for Israel, it has received military aid worth approximately $18bn since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Jordan is the second-highest recipient, with $1.75bn. Congo was also among the top recipients of aid in 2024, ranking 6th, amid escalating violence in the capital. Ethiopia, which faces civil strife and drought, also received significant aid, much of which is emergency humanitarian assistance.
