US reverses some UN food aid cuts, says cancelations were ‘mistakes’

ISTANBUL

The United States announced Tuesday that it has reversed some funding cuts to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), acknowledging that certain emergency aid projects were mistakenly canceled.

“There were a few programs that were cut in other countries that were not meant to be cut, that have been rolled back and put into place,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing.

Bruce emphasized that 85% of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) programs with the WFP remain active, pushing back against claims that the US had fully defunded the agency. “So it is inaccurate, as some have intimated, that USAID has defunded the World Food Programme – that is not true,” she said.

According to Bruce, most of the canceled aid contracts were in Yemen and Afghanistan, and were issued under an executive order that cited concerns about the funds potentially benefiting terrorist groups. However, she did not elaborate on which specific programs were mistakenly cut or how the errors occurred, aside from those in Yemen and Afghanistan.

The clarification comes after widespread concern from humanitarian organizations and international partners, particularly following an earlier decision by US President Donald Trump to freeze foreign aid on Jan. 20. Trump described much of the aid as "wasteful," sparking legal and diplomatic backlash.

The WFP, for its part, issued a strong statement expressing “deep concern” after being notified that US funding for emergency food assistance in 14 countries had been terminated.

“If implemented, this could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” the agency warned.

Bruce insisted that Washington’s commitment to foreign aid remains in place, saying: “We’ve said from the beginning that our commitment to foreign aid remains.”

ISTANBUL

The United States announced Tuesday that it has reversed some funding cuts to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), acknowledging that certain emergency aid projects were mistakenly canceled.

The WFP, for its part, issued a strong statement expressing “deep concern” after being notified that US funding for emergency food assistance in 14 countries had been terminated.

“If implemented, this could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” the agency warned.

Bruce insisted that Washington’s commitment to foreign aid remains in place, saying: “We’ve said from the beginning that our commitment to foreign aid remains.”