Jamaica assessing impact of US foreign aid freeze, says Morris Dixon

Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon says the Government is assessing the potential impact of the global freeze on foreign aid by the United States on Jamaica.

Morris Dixon, speaking at this morning’s post-Cabinet press briefing, indicated that the matter is under active consideration, noting that the National Security Council met last Thursday to discuss the issue.

“We’ve not been ignorant of them. We’ve been looking at them, we’ve been assessing them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in constant dialogue with our US partners, as they always have, and the Minister will be giving further updates in short order in relation to this,” she said.

“We’ve been looking at these matters and developing positions in relation to response to them,” she added.

US President Donald Trump ordered the 90-day freeze last week to allow time for a review of which humanitarian, development, and security programs will continue receiving funding from the United States.

Trump also paused federal grants and loans within the United States, but a judge temporarily blocked that effort on Tuesday.

According to the Associated Press, US-funded aid programmes worldwide were firing staff and shutting down or preparing to halt operations as the freeze on nearly all foreign assistance brought their work to a sudden stop.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who initially exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze, agreed on Tuesday to at least temporarily continue funding humanitarian programs that provide life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, according to a copy of a signed waiver obtained by the Associated Press.

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