House Democrats urge Rubio to lift foreign assistance freeze

House Democrats urged President Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lift the foreign assistance freeze mandated by an executive order from earlier this week, cutting off most U.S-funded foreign development projects around the world. 

The Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the ranking member of the House National Security, Department of State and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Subcommittee, penned a letter to Rubio, asking him to remove the pause which placed lives “at risk” and “undermines American leadership and credibility around the world.” 

“Foreign assistance is not a handout; it is a strategic investment in our future that is vital for U.S. global leadership and a more resilient world. It directly serves our national interests and demonstrates our credibility to allies, partners, and vulnerable people who rely on American assistance for survival,” the pair of Democrats wrote in a two-page letter on Friday. 

Trump signed an executive order on Monday to suspend any new U.S. foreign development aid for 90 days and to have the assistance reviewed to make sure it matches his view of American foreign policy. 

On Friday, the State Department imposed a wide-ranging halt of U.S. funding for projects abroad, excluding military aid and food programs for Egypt and Israel, multiple outlets reported. It would cut billions of dollars to back anti-corruption, development, health and other programs. The cable was sent by Rubio to American embassies nationwide. The U.S. allocated around $60 billion for aid dispersed around the world in 2023, The Associated Press noted. 

“These funds respond directly to your stated challenge of carrying out a foreign policy that makes the United States stronger, safer, and more prosperous,” Meeks and Frankel said. 

The Democrats warned Rubio that by pausing aid, the U.S. is letting its adversaries such as Iran and others “undermine promising regional developments.” 

“World-altering events are currently unfolding in Syria and Lebanon, and it is undoubtedly in the U.S. national interest to shape these events,” they wrote in the letter. “By pausing all of our current programs and not being able to respond to new opportunities, we cede this space to Iran and other adversaries and threaten to undermine promising regional developments.”