Trump Administration Resumes U.S. Food Aid Programs, Including to Syria

By Kardo Roj 

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump moved Wednesday to reinstate at least six emergency food aid programs—including those serving Syria—after international criticism and internal confusion over their suspension.

According to multiple informed sources, Jeremy Lewin, the acting deputy director of USAID and a newly appointed member of a government efficiency task force led by billionaire Elon Musk, sent an internal email directing staff to reverse recent program shutdowns.

The reinstated activities include World Food Programme (WFP) operations in Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador. These aid efforts had been quietly frozen in recent weeks, sparking alarm among humanitarian officials.

Najate Rochdi, Deputy UN Special Envoy for Syria, warned on Tuesday that halting American food aid could have catastrophic consequences. “Syrian lives are at stake,” she posted on X, calling on the global community to act swiftly.

Her warning reflected growing concern that recent aid cuts would deepen already dire humanitarian conditions in conflict-torn Syria, where food insecurity remains rampant.

In the internal email viewed by Reuters, Lewin wrote: “We apologize for all the confusion surrounding the aid programs.” The message signaled a quick pivot after pressure from both humanitarian groups and some U.S. lawmakers.

Two additional sources confirmed that four other grants to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Pacific region have also been reactivated.

The temporary freeze on food aid had drawn criticism from international agencies and triggered fears of broader U.S. disengagement from humanitarian commitments under Trump’s renewed leadership.

Though the precise reason for the initial halt remains unclear, sources suggested it may have stemmed from policy reviews initiated by Trump’s restructured USAID, now partly overseen by Musk’s government efficiency initiative.

While the aid reversal has brought some relief, it also highlights the fragility of international assistance amid shifting political winds in Washington—and the high human cost of bureaucratic indecision.