By Simon Lewis (JO:LEWJ) and Humeyra Pamuk

GUATEMALA CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the Trump administration is contacting U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) missions globally to determine which programs will be exempt from recent stop-work orders.

On Monday, the administration announced it would place all directly hired USAID employees on leave and recall thousands of overseas personnel, following President Donald Trump’s order for a freeze on most U.S. foreign aid last month.

Trump and his aides aim to ensure that U.S. assistance, including humanitarian aid, aligns with his “America First” policy. He has tasked billionaire Elon Musk, who has previously criticized USAID, with scaling down the agency.

The January 20 freeze led to stop-work orders halting much of USAID’s global aid and caused the layoff of hundreds of contractors. However, some exceptions were listed Monday, regarding specially designated programs.

Rubio stated that the criteria for exemptions would focus on whether a program aligns with U.S. national interests. He alleged that USAID staff were not cooperating in identifying relevant programs, while commending State Department staff for providing helpful insights.

Emergency food assistance was not part of the broad freeze, yet Rubio issued a waiver on January 28 for life-saving assistance and specified qualification criteria. However, the ambiguity of Trump’s orders and subsequent waivers has created confusion among aid organizations regarding their operational continuity.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the U.S. has halted purchases for foreign food aid programs, despite the waiver for food assistance. This freeze on commodities produced by U.S. farmers, such as wheat and soybeans, risks disrupting organizations that provide vital food aid to nations including Madagascar, Tanzania, and Honduras.