USAID funding for Syria radically reduced

USAID’s Role in Syria Before 2025

The U.S. has long been Syria’s largest humanitarian donor. In fiscal year 2024, U.S. humanitarian assistance totaled roughly $580 million, including $465 million via USAID/BHA—over 27% of UN-coordinated aid
USAID supported a broad range of programs: food aid, healthcare, clean water, nutrition (especially for pregnant women and children), civil defense (White Helmets), war-crimes investigations, and chemical weapons monitoring

January Freeze & 90-Day Review
- On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order halting nearly all foreign aid, triggering a 90-day review
- Although waivers were issued for “life-saving” aid, confusion over definitions caused widespread suspensions. NGOs reported paused services and delayed or canceled payments
Mass Terminations & Dismantling of USAID
- By late February–March, the administration had canceled ~5,200 of 6,200 USAID programs worldwide; only 18% remained and were transferred to the State Department
- In Syria alone, more than $126 million of food and humanitarian contracts were cut—including bread distribution to around 1.5 million people
- A $30 million USAID grant funding the White Helmets was terminated, crippling search-and-rescue operations and chemical-warfare investigations
- USAID staff were drastically reduced—from over 10,000 globally to fewer than 300 by early February

Health clinics closed: Dozens of USAID-supported clinics—such as those run by Médecins du Monde in northwest Syria—were forced to shut, affecting tens of thousands of internally displaced persons
Vulnerable camps destabilized: Reduced WASH and camp support heightened risks of disease, riots, and potential IS-affiliated breakouts in Al-Hol, Roj, and al‑Hol camps
Chemical-weapons disarmament and war-crimes probes stalled: Loss of U.S. support hampered investigations, forensic documentation, and civil defense restructuring .
Food security threatened: WFP and other food-aid contracts worth over $111 million were terminated—impacting basic nutrition for millions

On April 8, 2025, USAID officially restored food aid to Syria (and other countries like Lebanon and Jordan), though Afghanistan and Yemen remained excluded
However, non-food programs—health, water, civil defense, and forensic support—remained largely defunct, either permanently terminated or in prolonged limbo

Period	Action	Syria-Specific Impact
Pre-2025	USAID heavily funded Syria (food, health, White Helmets, investigations)	>$465M/year, >$18B since 2012
Jan–Mar 2025	Freeze → review → mass program cancellations	>$126M aid cut; White Helmets funding pulled; clinics closed; camps destabilized
Apr 2025 onward	Some food aid restored	Non-food humanitarian programs remain largely dismantled

Since the second Trump administration began in January 2025, USAID funding for Syria has been radically reduced:

Massive program cancellations—over 80% of USAID-funded projects were terminated globally.
Major humanitarian lifelines in Syria—clinics, food systems, civil defense, investigations—were disrupted.
Although food aid returned by April, the broader humanitarian infrastructure remains severely weakened, with long-term consequences for public health, stability, and justice efforts in Syria.