Urge Congress to call for an end to the Trump administration’s funding freeze suspending U.S. foreign assistance.Dear Brian Flatgard, Recently, the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders and directives to federal agencies to suspend current and new U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending a review. In addition to a funding suspension, the administration also issued a “stop-work order” on most U.S. foreign assistance programs. This has led to cessation of any implementation activities funded by the U.S. government, except for certain humanitarian assistance programs that receive individual waivers from the Secretary of State. While a few programs qualify to receive a waiver, money is not flowing in spite of the waivers. Lack of clarity and guidance from Trump administration officials have led to confusion, significant disruptions and, in some cases, sudden termination of lifesaving programs.
It is a common practice of new U.S. presidents to review programs at the beginning of their tenure. But the review process need not necessitate freezing programs for which Congress has already appropriated funding. Freezing funds causes major disruptions to services and benefits which many in our communities and around the world depend on, especially those on the margins of society – which is happening now. Presently, programs that have been impacted by the funding freeze include: Global health programs: Programs such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provide care and lifesaving medicine to over 20 million people in low-income countries. Because of PEPFAR, millions of babies born to mothers living with HIV are born HIV-free. Services have already been disrupted, including PEPFAR programs implemented by some ELCA companion churches.
Refugee integration: The State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) helps recently arrived refugees and persons with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), including Afghans who supported the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, start their lives in the United States through the Reception and Placement Program (R&P), which has been interrupted by the funding freeze. Upon arrival, refugees and SIV holders receive case-management support from one of the ten resettlement agencies which have worked in partnership with the federal government, including Global Refuge (formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service). This assistance is designed to aid refugees’ integration and to foster economic self-sufficiency. It includes assistance with basic needs like housing, food, clothing and furnishings, as well as employment, language and school-enrollment services.
Resilience, environment, and food security programs: Among programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency impacted by the freeze, are developers of energy access promotion and natural disaster response, some of which may impact our lives and those of neighbors in unexpected ways. For example, under threat due to the funding freeze are the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSN) and the Storm EVent ImagRy dataset (SERVIR) The FEWSN is a U.S.-funded program that delivers real-time information to governments and aid agencies in food-insecure countries, alerting them of impending famine and drought shocks. SERVIR is a joint program with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that uses satellites to deliver real-time information on extreme weather and provides early warning systems to save lives and millions of dollars.
Funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital: USAID has been providing directed funding to the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), operated by the Lutheran World Federation in East Jerusalem, for the past several years. Care was provided for nearly 20,000 people through AVH and associated mobile clinics in 2023. Care and lives are now at risk as the administration’s foreign assistance pause has already disrupted financial support for AVH – although this support has been approved by Congress and obligated by USAID.
”We affirm that our nation has responsibility to contribute a portion of its wealth to people in poorer nations through effective economic assistance,” reads the ELCA social statementFor Peace in God’s World (p. 16).
Please ask your members of Congress to call for an end to the funding freeze. Customize the Action Alert in the ELCA Action Center. |
