The United States had considered stopping food aid for millions of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and the general population in Lebanon. In February, an official from the Trump administration sent an email suggesting that aid to the stateless Rohingya and Lebanon should be discontinued as it was not beneficial for the U.S.
Peter Marocco, the acting deputy administrator of USAID, wrote the email on February 16, directing the head of USAID’s humanitarian assistance bureau, Tim Misberger, to draft a memo. The memo was intended to highlight how dependent the Rohingya and Lebanon were on U.S. aid and to ensure they expressed gratitude for it.
Marocco also indicated that while the U.S. had sympathy for the Rohingya, it was shifting its stance and looking to gradually reduce aid. Sources suggested that the U.S. official was skeptical about the necessity of continuing aid for the Rohingya and Lebanon.
According to a Reuters report, the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the email. It remains unclear whether Misberger sent the memo to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. In 2022, the U.S. had officially recognized the Rohingya as victims of genocide.
After taking office on January 20, former President Donald Trump imposed a 90-day freeze on foreign aid. However, sources confirmed that emergency food assistance for the Rohingya and Lebanon continued after February 24, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened. He instructed that food aid be exempted from Trump’s overall aid suspension. Four days later, other essential humanitarian assistance, including medicine, shelter, and administrative costs for delivering aid, was also exempted.
Since 2017, the U.S. has provided $2.4 billion in aid for Rohingya refugees. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), nearly one million Rohingya live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with 95% relying entirely on humanitarian aid. Most of them fled Myanmar to escape genocide, while others sought refuge in Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Thailand.
Earlier this month, the United Nations warned that due to funding shortages, monthly cash assistance for Rohingya refugees could be reduced from $12.50 to $6. On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited the Rohingya camps and pledged to work towards maintaining the current level of aid.