Washington– The administration of President Donald Trump has decided to resume humanitarian aid to several countries, including Syria, following internal pressure and international warnings, according to a report by Reuters on Tuesday, citing informed U.S. sources.
Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that Jeremy Lowen, acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and an official at the Office of Government Efficiency sent an internal email instructing staff to reverse the planned termination of at least six aid programs. The directive included a request to restore World Food Programme (WFP) funding in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador.
According to the sources, the reversal came in response to pressure from within the administration and from Congress, as well as warnings from the United Nations’ World Food Programme about the potentially catastrophic consequences of halting assistance.
On the same day, the U.S. State Department announced that it had rescinded several unspecified funding cuts to WFP emergency programs in 14 impoverished countries.
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Earlier, Reuters had reported that the Trump administration had suspended life-saving aid totaling over $1.3 billion to more than a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Syria.
Najate Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria to U.N. envoy Geir Pedersen, warned on Tuesday of the dire humanitarian impact of suspending U.S. food assistance.
In a post on X, she wrote:
“The suspension of U.S. food aid to Syria risks devastating humanitarian consequences. WFP warns it could be a death sentence for millions already facing extreme hunger.
At a time when Syrians need global solidarity more than ever, these cuts will deepen suffering and fuel instability. The international community must act now. Syrian lives are on the line.”
