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Despite Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio’s claim, several sources told CNN that US financial aid work has been widely halted.
Since the Trump administration’s almost all US aid continues for the third week on all US foreign aid, it is expected that thousands of USAID personnel will be kept on administrative departure or fired, in which only ” Essential “is intended to maintain several hundred personnel considered. The agency, however, temporarily stopped the Trump administration’s 2,200 direct rent employees on holiday plans to leave on holiday and rapidly remove staff from countries around the world Stopped.
“Our effort target is to always identify programs that work and continue and identify programs that are not associated with our national interest,” Rubio said during a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday. They are and identify them and address them. ”
Rubio, now now the acting administrator of USAID, reiterated earlier this week that he had issued a blanket exemption for life -saving programs.
If it is providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is quick and quick, you have not been included in the frozen. I do not know that we can be even more clear than that, “Rubio questioned the ability of organizations who did not apply for exemptions.
However, several USAID staff and contractors who have spoken to CNN say it is not a reflection of the situation on the ground.
He said that almost all humanitarian relief programs in his tracks are holding their tracks.
“This work has been stopped because there is no staff to manage it, and there is no staff in DC to answer the questions of the partners,” said CNN “” “Humanitarianism all over the world has literally collapsed because they have decided to stop people from allowing them to work.”
“Our payment system has been handled. We can no longer pay. We do not have staff.
The agency employee said the authority to take the payments “has been stripped of USAID.”
Fear of the US government’s financing in the future, they have received a discount from some NGOs working in other countries to continue some part of their work.
But even these limited activities have been interrupted because NGOs do not have the money to pay the salaries of relief workers and, in some cases, the orders for USAID stopwork are still there.
CNN has reached USAID for comment.
When he was asked about a number of issues to prevent life -saving work after Trump’s executive order when the State Department directed CNN Rubio’s comments In the Dominican Republic, where he said that the department has made it clear in the guidance that there will be specific nominated programs that will not be part of this order, and we are working through the process of identifying them, Which are specially designated.
Meanwhile, food purchases have been stopped in the Ethiopian region. Alliance of humanitarian non -governmental organizations Nutritional services have also been suspended in the country and for nutritional children and adults, yet exemptions with Rubio food assistance.
In Syrian refugee camps, coordination costs and services were provided to protect US aid workers. According to sources familiar with the situation, the money has now been frozen, that is, other funding organizations have also suspended the operations.
A former contractor working on a project with USAID in Syria, who voluntarily provided a White Helmet to the non -governmental organization, told CNN that his grant had been frozen.
According to Jeremy Conandek, a former refugee and USAID official, food kitchens are already shutting down by the United States in Sudan.
Condiceck warned of a widespread impact on refugees, “Many homeless people and many people who are trapped in famine and other crises, if not killed by this bridge to help him, if he was severe If it is not damaged, it can be harmed. ” In Sudan, Syria and Gaza.
Condic also noted that USAID employees could not follow the exemption if they were closed with their government systems or kept on administrative leave.
Many rescue workers told CNN that it is a system and a vacuum. No one is incompetent – which has stopped humanitarian work.
Many USAID projects are performed by federal contractors, who usually cover the cost and then submit the invoice for compensation – but USAID is currently not processing these payments.
“Excession is 100 % meaningless to us,” USAID official told CNN earlier this week. ”
Federal contractors from two US companies said their invoice has not been paid since the opening day.
One of the biggest USAID contractors, a source of information about operations in Communics, “everything has been closed,”.
“The US Government works around the world provides important health commodities for dealing with HIV/AIDS and malaria, supports efforts to prevent migration from Central America, US Agriculture The Ukrainian knows how to support food production, and knows in a statement that the world is supported. We have failed to withdraw the funds from the letter of credit to pay the shopkeepers and the costs incurred before the stopwork order. ”
According to the Professional Services Council, the Trade Association for many federal contractors, since the US government’s foreign aid was frozen, has been obliged for its member companies to pay about $ 500 million free of $ 500 million.
The council said, “This payment will be for the desired work through existing contracts and for which the contractors already spent the money.” DescriptionAsk the government to “pay your bills”.
Rescue efforts are also being stopped as the groups implementing the projects have not been made clear about which activities are allowed to continue.
An USAID employee said, “If a colleague proceeds under his award and without the permission to do them under this executive order, they are taking a major risk. “ If they do something – even if it is a life -saving – they are later considered against the order, “they will shout slogans and may be closed.”
CNN’s Jennifer Hensaller, Dewan Cole, Alexander Marcord, Sean Langas and Casey Ruddal supported the reporting.
