US President Trump’s executive orders start affecting Malawi through USAID programmes

* USAID pausing all new obligations of funding, and sub-obligations of funding under Development Objective Agreements

* However, US Secretary of State has approved waivers of the pause that include emergency food assistance and administrative expenses

By Duncan Mlanjira

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Malawi has issued a statement date January 24 that it is implementation some of the newly-elected US President Donald Trump’s executive orders — and on its part to do with the Reevaluating and Realigning US Foreign Aid.

The statement is addressed to all USAID contracting & agreement officers and implementing partners, saying Trump’s order follows an additional direction provided by the US Department of State.

“USAID is pausing all new obligations of funding, and sub-obligations of funding under Development Objective Agreements (DOAGs), pending a review of foreign assistance programs funded by USAID,” says the statement issued by Jami J. Rodgers, USAID senior procurement executive.

“The pause applies to applicable funding under all award instruments. Effectively immediately, contracting and agreement officers must not modify, extend, or exercise options or renewals for existing awards beyond the actions authorized below.

“Contracting and and agreement officers shall immediately issue stop-work orders, amend, or suspend existing awards, consistent with the terms and conditions of the relevant award.

“Following a review, contracting and agreement officers will communicate decisions related to whether an award will be continued, modified, or terminated with impacted contractors and recipients.

“In addition, contracting and agreement officers must not issue new awards or release any new requests for proposals (RFPs), requests for application (RFAs), notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs), or any other kind of solicitation or request for foreign assistance funding until each activity has been reviewed and approved as consistent with the President’s policy.”

However, USAID indicates that the US Secretary of State has approved waivers of the pause under Trump’s Executive Order, subject to further review, with respect to:

1. emergency food assistance and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to administer such assistance;

2. on a temporary basis, salaries and related administrative expenses, including travel, for all categories of personal services contractors;

3. legitimate expenses incurred prior to January 24, 2025, under existing awards or legitimate expenses associated with stop-work orders, suspensions, or pause-related amendments; and

4. exceptions to the pause approved by the Director of Foreign Assistance.

“The process for waivers, as well as the review process for activities, is forthcoming,” the statement continues. “Within 30 days, the Director of the Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff (S/P) or its designate shall develop appropriate review standards to ensure that all foreign assistance is aligned with President Trump’s foreign policy agenda.

“The review is to be completed within 85 days of January 24, 2025 [and] a copy of this notice has been posted to USAID’s Implementing Partner Notices portals.

Other executive orders by Donald Trump soon after taking office on his inauguration day, included the withdrawing of the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO), marking the second time he has done so — the first when he was in office at the outset of the CoVID-19 pandemic.

He had been critical of how the United Nations body handled the CoVID-19 and began the process of pulling out from the Geneva-based institution during the pandemic — but President Joe Biden later reversed that decision.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that Trump’s administration has announced a freeze on almost all new funding for foreign assistance programmes, with exceptions for allies Israel and Egypt.

The report published today indicates that order from the US State Department yesterday also includes exceptions for emergency food programmes, but not health programmes that supporters say provide vital, life-saving services.

Al Jazeera quotes a memo from newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed senior officials to “ensure that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, no new obligations shall be made for foreign assistance”.

The report further says humanitarian organisations immediately expressed alarm at the directive, voicing fears that it could contribute to global instability and loss of life.

Al Jazeera quotes a statement from Abby Maxman, head of Oxfam America, that says: “By suspending foreign development assistance, the Trump administration is threatening the lives and futures of communities in crisis, and abandoning the United States’ long-held bipartisan approach to foreign assistance which supports people based on need, regardless of politics.”

The temporary freeze is slated to last for a period of at least three months and Al Jazeera reports that in the first 85 days, Rubio is expected to make “decisions whether to continue, modify, or terminate programs”, quoting the memo.

According to international media reports soon after he took office, Trump’s second term’s foreign policy will likely have a global impact on major countries that include Israel; the Middle East (Gaza War); Russia (war in Ukraine); United Kingdom; Canada; China and others.

Another order Trump made is to recognise only two genders, male and female, which he first confirmed in his inaugural speech, saying: “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female.”

The definition of male and female, according to Trump’s team as reported by international media, will be based on whether people are born with eggs or sperm, rather than on their chromosomes and under the order, prisons and settings such as shelters for migrants and rape victims would be segregated by sex, based on this criteria.

Officials indicated that the order would impact federal documents including passports and would also block requirements at government facilities and at workplaces that transgender people be referred to using the pronouns that align with their gender.