Trump administration accidently cuts UN World Food funding

The Trump Administration has begun reversing a series of accidental funding cuts made to the UN World Food Projects, which had endangered the food security of millions of people globally.

According to the Associated Press, the UN World Food Projects provide emergency food aid to several conflict-ridden countries such as Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan–places where countless lives depend on this assistance to avoid starvation.

In a social media post made on April 7th, the WFP urgently called on the US to reconsider its decision, warning that the funding reductions could amount to a “death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger” if they were upheld by the Trump administration.

Previously, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio and other Trump administration officials had promised to maintain funding for the programs, acknowledging their life-or-death importance.  

Commenting on the issue, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the mistake to reporters in a statement on April 8. 

She explained that there were a few aid programs that ”were not meant to be cut” and once the error was identified, the funds were ”rolled back and put in place.”

However, Bruce did not clarify which countries were affected by the mistake, or how long they went without their critical aid. 

The accidental cuts come amid a broader wave of deliberate and permanent foreign aid reductions implemented by the Trump administration. 

As previously reported by Maghrebi, the administration made sweeping cuts to numerous foreign aid programs under the pretence of saving millions of dollars in funding previously allocated annually.

As a result, approximately ”90% of all USAID’s foreign aid contracts” were cancelled.

These cuts have had a devastating impact on global charities and humanitarian organizations, many of which have been left scrambling to secure alternative sources of funding since the reductions came into effect. 

Associated Press, Maghrebi