US lifts ban on World food programme donations

The World Food Programme announced that it will resume in-kind food aid purchases and deliveries funded by USAID, following the lifting of a pause caused by the Trump administration’s freeze on U.S. foreign aid.

This decision comes after concerns from an aid watchdog that the suspension had stranded 500,000 metric tons of food at sea or awaiting shipment.

“We can confirm that the recent pause concerning in-kind food assistance to WFP – purchased from U.S. farmers with Title II funds – has been rescinded,” WFP said in an X post on Sunday.

“This allows for the resumption of food purchases and deliveries under existing USAID agreements.”

The U.S. had halted purchases of commodities from American farmers for food donations, even though emergency food aid had a waiver.

This followed President Trump’s 90-day pause on all foreign aid to assess alignment with his “America First” policy.

The U.S. also instructed the WFP to halt work on dozens of U.S.-funded grants, despite a food aid waiver issued by Secretary of State Marco Rubio five days earlier.

Several of these suspended grants were part of the Food for Peace Title II program, which allocates about $2 billion annually for U.S. commodity donations.

This program, the primary channel for U.S. international food assistance, is jointly managed by the USDA and USAID.

The U.S. State Department has not provided a response to requests for comment on the matter.

Humanitarian officials say the Trump administration’s lack of clarity in its push to cut and reshape U.S. foreign aid has caused chaos, leaving them uncertain about whether to continue programs without financial guarantees.

A USAID Office of Inspector General report on Monday warned that this uncertainty put over $489 million worth of food aid at risk of spoilage, unexpected storage costs, and potential diversion while stuck in ports, transit, or warehouses.