Marco Rubio pauses foreign aid from State Department in 'America First' move

When Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in 2024, he promised to take an "America First" approach during his second term.

One of the ways he was going to do that was to fill his staff with people who were onboard with the mission. Based on his decisions so far, it would appear as though Secretary of State Marco Rubio fully understands the mission.

According to Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has paused all American foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to allow Donald Trump and his team to review if the use of the money puts "America First."

On January 26, America's State Department released a memo about aligning with Donald Trump's recent executive order to reevaluate and realign foreign aid leaving America.

The statement

"Consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, Secretary [Marco] Rubio has paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for review," the statement read. "He is initiating a review of all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda. President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people."

The statement continued by saying that the review of foreign assistance on behalf of taxpayers is a "moral imperative."

It added that Marco Rubio was proud to protect America's investments "with a deliberate and judicious review" of how the money is spent on aiding foreign countries.

"The implementation of this Executive Order and the Secretary’s direction furthers that mission," the statement continued.

It added, "As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’"

Possible disciplinary action

Donald Trump and his administration are so serious about getting America's spending under control that staffers with USAID will face "disciplinary action" for not complying.

The main theme of Trump's second term so far has been "America First," and this directive reflects that. It looks as though many government officials are ready to help Trump achieve this goal however they can, and that's a good thing.

"We have a responsibility to support the President in achieving his vision," said Ken Jackson, assistant to the administrator for management and resources.

"The President has given us a tremendous opportunity to transform the way we approach foreign assistance for decades to come," he added.

America is by far the largest donor of aid globally. During fiscal year 2023, America handed out $72,000,000,000 in assistance.

Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid just hours after taking office.