section_path: Foreign policy/Foreign aid/Freezing most programs for 90 days
section_name: Freezing most programs for 90 days
paragraph_text: Freezing most programs for 90 days
  
  DOGE dismantled most of USAID, which had been a 10,000-person agency originally tasked to carry-out humanitarian projects. USAID's critics maintained that many of the projects were in fact not all that humanitarian and/or much of the money was not well spent.
  
  In January 2025, the administration issued a 90-day stop-work order worldwide, Stop work interrupted about 30 clinical trials, and interrupted projects such as emergency medical care for displaced Palestinians and Yemenis, war refugees on the Sudan-Chad border, and heat and electricity for Ukrainian refugees. The HIV Modeling Consortium estimated the death toll from HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at 14,872 adults and 1,582 children in the one month after Trump's January 2025 funding freeze. A key controversy is whether or not waivers are being made and money actually starting to flow again for the most essential programs. For example, the Associated Press reported on February 19, that waivers for PEPFAR, the program that has saved 26 million lives from AIDS, were not in force, despite a federal judge having lifted the funding freeze.
  
  In early February 2025, it was reported that the USAID director of security and a deputy were put on administrative leave after they "blocked efforts by DOGE members to physically access restricted areas" in order to obtain sensitive information. The DOGE members did eventually gain access to the information, which reportedly included email as well as classified information for which they did not have security clearance. And they obtained the ability to lock USAID staff out. Musk had earlier tweeted "USAID is a criminal organization" and that it is "Time for it to die." USAID staff were instructed to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of USAID staff lost access to USAID computer systems.
  
  There have been reports that China has offered to take over development projects if the United States permanently leaves.
  
  During a February 6 press conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, "If it's providing food or medicine or anything that is saving lives and is immediate and urgent, you're not included in the freeze." However, a February 8 CNN article reported that many waivers were not being acted upon because of staff placed on leave, plus payment systems had been taken over. In an interview before the February 9 Super Bowl, Trump said, "Let him take care of the few good ones", referring to Rubio. Rubio's waivers were not in effect.
  
  On February 13, federal judge Amir Ali ordered the Trump administration to continue contracts and grants which were in effect January 19. Chief Justice John Roberts, overseeing cases for the District of Columbia, paused this order. On March 5, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the Trump administration must comply with Judge Ali's order. However, the Supreme Court stated that Judge Ali must clarify what obligations the government must meet with "due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines". On March 10, Judge Ali ruled that the Trump administration must pay for completed projects at the rate of 300 back payments a day, meaning four days for all 1,200 back payments, and this being for projects completed by February 13. A March 11 ABC News article reported that, until recently, no payments were being made because DOGE had disabled the payment system.