U.S. aid freeze forces UN food agency to suspend critical programs

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has halted projects and cut staff in crisis-affected regions after President Donald Trump froze hundreds of millions in annual U.S. funding, worsening food insecurity worldwide.

Bartosz Brzeziński and Hannah Roberts report for POLITICO.

In short:

• The FAO, which supports global food security, lost $307 million in U.S. funding, forcing it to suspend programs in Afghanistan, South Sudan, Somalia, and other regions.
• The cuts are part of a broader freeze on U.S. foreign aid, affecting multiple UN agencies like the World Food Programme, which has reduced rations and closed offices.
• FAO staff have been ordered to halt external communications about the funding crisis, while internal fears grow over layoffs and long-term program losses.

Key quote:

“This isn’t just an FAO problem — every single humanitarian agency is affected in some way. It’s catastrophic. ”

— FAO field worker

Why this matters:

The U.S. has long been a cornerstone of global food security efforts, helping to fund programs that provide agricultural support, improve farming resilience, and combat hunger in vulnerable regions. Many of the affected regions are already grappling with war, climate disasters, and economic instability.

The freeze comes at a time when global hunger levels remain alarmingly high. According to the FAO, nearly 30% of the world’s population faced some form of food insecurity in recent years, a problem exacerbated by supply chain disruptions, inflation, and extreme weather events. The impact of reduced U.S. funding could be especially severe in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, where many families depend on agricultural assistance to survive.

Read more: USAID shuts down climate programs aimed at preventing unrest