The Trump administration has announced $1.8 billion in new funding for United Nations humanitarian aid efforts, following a previous $2 billion commitment made in December. The announcement was made by Jeremy Lewin, State Department undersecretary for foreign assistance, who emphasized that the U.S. remains deeply engaged in humanitarian work despite perceptions to the contrary.
The initial $2 billion was distributed across 18 countries, including Ukraine, while the new funding will extend support to Lebanon, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic. Lewin noted that the administration is prioritizing countries of strong national interest and highlighted improvements in accountability and efficiency in the humanitarian sector.
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International and former USAID official, welcomed the move as positive but pointed out that the funding is still $10 billion less than what the U.S. provided in the final year of the Biden administration. He warned that many programs are shutting down due to reduced funding, though he acknowledged the administration’s shift away from its earlier stance of dismantling foreign aid.
Konyndyk also cautioned that relying too heavily on a single organization for funding could pose risks, stressing the importance of a diversified portfolio of partners. Despite the reduced scale, he noted that American public support for humanitarian aid remains strong, and the administration appears to be responding to that sentiment.
