The U.S. Department of State issued a 90-day freeze on foreign aid, which was met with concerns from a number of Christian humanitarian groups whose efforts were affected.
In an article by Time Magazine, the suspension affected the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—which, at roughly $40 billion, makes up for less than 1% of the federal budget— and all of its programs except for a small group of programs attending to matters involving life-threatening hunger or medical emergencies.
USAID will also be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the time being. Additionally, USAID staff members except those "responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership, and specially designated programs"—were placed on leave last week, and those working in overseas missions were informed that arrangements would be made for them to return to the U.S. within 30 days.
With that introduction, here are 5 Christian groups that have issued responses to Trump's foreign aid freeze.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/World Vision International
1. World Relief
1. World Relief
World Relief, a Christian organization which has partended with churches and communities in over 80 countries, has raised $3 million in the past 2 weeks in order to pay rent for legal refugees.
"It said, stop all work," Matthew Soerens, the vice president of advocacy and policy for World Relief, said. "But we were not going to not show up at the airport. We were not going to not make sure that they had a place to sleep that night and a warm meal." It's not a heavy lift to meet people at an airport and buy them a meal. What worries the folks at World Relief more is who was going to pay their rent for the next 90 days? Usually, that time period is covered by federal money distributed through various partners so that refugees have time to get on their feet and find a job, but now the State Department has ordered World Relief and other charities to immediately cease doing that. And who was going to pay rent for the thousands of other families World Relief was supporting, both in the U.S. and overseas?
Soerens also referenced a recent survey by LifeWay Research, which found that 70% of American evangelicals say they believe the country has a moral responsibility to receive refugees.
"There's about 4,000 people, who the government invited to come to the United States, and arranged plane travel for," he says. "It's very different from some of the other immigration debates."
The organization estimated that the U.S. government's failure to pay rent for legal refugees would leave them with an $8 million funding hole in their budget.
Late last month, World Relief urged the Trump administration to reconsider its decision after suspending the United States Refugee Admission Program (USRAP).
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/World Relief
2. Medical Teams International
2. Medical Teams International
The Christian non-profit Medical Teams International has continued its work despite the freeze.
"Although we received suspension orders, we have not halted our work in Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia," a spokeswoman for Medical Teams International said in an email. "We have chosen this course for the time being because, as a Christian organization, we center our decisions on the worth and dignity of ALL people—the people we serve and our staff."
At the present time, one portion of a program in Uganda has received a waiver to continue operations even though the organization is aware that it might not be reimbursed for other programs.
In 2020, USAID granted $1.35 million to Medical Teams International for their COVID-19 emergency response in Guatemala, where the organization has conducted efforts in the country since 2008.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Medical Teams International
3. Samaritan's Purse
3. Samaritan's Purse
Evangelist Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, noted that his organization's life-sustaining essential emergency supplies are "exempt from the stop order."
"It is our understanding that life-sustaining essential emergency supplies are exempt from the stop order," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, in a statement to TIME. "However, the details of the waiver process are not yet clear."
Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, added that Samaritan's Purse, which receives less than 5% of its international aid budget from USAID, would continue to fund its projects in Africa, including Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Samaritan’s Purse
4. World Vision
4. World Vision
World Vision, the Christian humanitarian aid organization that is active in over 100 countries worldwide, will refrain from spending in order to evaluate where its programs align with Trump's foreign policy.
"World Vision is responding to the executive order that pauses U.S. foreign assistance funding—with the exception of emergency food assistance—for the next 90 days, while programs are reviewed for alignment with the current administration's foreign policy," said the international relief organization in a statement to TIME.
USAID previously collaborated with World Vision in $2.9 billion of its resources to save up to 500,000 children from preventable deaths by the end of 2015.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/World Vision
5. Catholic Relief Services
5. Catholic Relief Services
Last on the list is Catholic Relief Services, which is considered to be the largest USAID recipient in 2024 after receiving $476 million in funding.
In a statement published on the organization's website, Catholic Relief Services is urging Congress to engage with the Administration to continue allowing foreign assistance programs to operate as the review process continues.
"U.S. foreign aid is not a handout. It has real impact on human life and dignity and advances U.S national interests," the group said. "It provides lifesaving assistance in emergencies and supports long-term development programs that help families and communities build resilience, reducing the need for humanitarian aid in the future."
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/Catholic Relief Services
Originally published February 13, 2025.
