US President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend foreign aid to Sri Lanka will have a serious impact on the activities of non-governmental organizations in Sri Lanka, as well as on the government, political analysts point out.
The US President’s decision to suspend aid to Sri Lanka through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been suspended, which they point out will have a serious impact on many social welfare activities in Sri Lanka.
On January 20, Trump issued an executive order, immediately halting all USAID-funded projects and ordering a 90-day review to determine “whether they are effective and consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later announced a funding freeze.
USAID is the largest single donor to Sri Lanka, funding hundreds of local NGOs as well as government programs. Last year alone, Sri Lanka received nearly 15 billion rupees from USAID, according to the NGO Secretariat.