Health and humanitarian groups around the world were still uncertain on January 29 if and how they could resume work after the United States issued a waiver for “life-saving” assistance in President Donald Trump’s freeze on U.S. foreign aid.

In a follow-up memo after an outcry from aid groups, Rubio clarified that other “humanitarian assistance” besides food would also be exempt during the review period. Humanitarian assistance was defined as “core life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced exemptions in the freeze on foreign assistance, continuing funding for humanitarian items like shelter and medicine. President Trump had ordered a 90-day pause on assistance.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined America's new foreign policy focus in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, emphasizing the nation's relationships with nearby countries.

A number of development programmes and relief assistance efforts around the world have come to a halt this week after President Trump froze all foreign assistance provided by the United States, calling into question the future of foreign aid around the globe.

US President Donald Trump has ordered most foreign assistance to be halted for 90 days pending a review, causing alarm among aid agencies worldwide. View on euronews

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Central America and the Caribbean. That is welcome news for smaller countries that typically struggle to get the attention of Washington. Usually, new secretaries of state reserve their first overseas visits for major US allies in Europe or Asia.

The Trump administration's sweeping overhaul of U.S. humanitarian aid has thrown U.S. Agency for International Development, into turmoil.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump pushes for all government departments to prioritise ‘America First’.

Current and former officials at the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) say staffers were invited to submit requests to exempt certain programmes from the foreign aid freeze, which President Donald Trump imposed on January 20 and the State Department detailed how to execute on January 24.

According to the spokesman, 80,000 Afghans have been resettled in various countries, while more than 40,000 remain in limbo. Among them, 25,000 were expected to be relocated to the US. Under the initial agreement with the US, the resettlement process was scheduled for completion by September 2025.