A senior official in the Trump administration overseeing the dismantling of the US foreign aid agency proposed ending aid for Lebanon and the Rohingya refugees, who represent the world’s largest stateless population, according to an email obtained by Reuters.
Written on February 16 by Peter Marocco, acting deputy administrator of USAID, the email sheds light on the administration’s efforts to cut aid programs it views as not beneficial to the US.
Marocco appeared to suggest that the Rohingya and Lebanon should express gratitude for US support, stating that the US “should procure some type of consideration or good faith from the recipient populations to the American people.”
The email instructed Tim Meisburger, head of USAID’s humanitarian affairs bureau, to draft an “Action memo” highlighting the “odd dependency” of Lebanon and the Rohingya refugees on US aid, for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s attention.
The memo was to outline ways to “send the signal” that, while compassionate, things needed to change after the November 5 warning, as Marocco referred to Trump’s 2024 re-election.
“Please propose the best method and timeline for weaning this dependency and what we might seek from them – or partners. Nothing is owed,” he wrote, meaning that the US had no obligation to continue providing support.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the authenticity of the email and that Marocco aimed to phase out aid to the Rohingya and Lebanon.
Marocco “is not convinced these people need more aid,” the source said.
The State Department declined to comment. Neither Marocco nor Meisburger responded to requests for comment.
Reuters could not determine whether Meisburger sent the memo to Rubio or how much US aid continues to flow to Lebanon or the more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar, which the US declared a genocide in 2022.
The US provides military, humanitarian, and other assistance to Lebanon.
Marocco sent the email as he and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiated a drive to reduce USAID and integrate its operations into the State Department.
They have terminated hundreds of staff and contractors and canceled billions of dollars in services vital to millions globally. Rubio stated on Monday that over 80 percent of USAID programs have been canceled.
ROHINGYA AID COVERED BY WAIVER
This drive began shortly after Trump took office on January 20, with the president ordering a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid while reviewing whether aid programs aligned with his “America First” foreign policy.
Aid for the Rohingya and Lebanon was protected from the freeze by a waiver issued by Rubio on February 24 for emergency food assistance.
Four days later, Rubio granted a waiver for all life-saving medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence aid, including necessary administrative costs to deliver such aid.
The US has been the largest aid provider to the Rohingya refugees, contributing nearly $2.4 billion since 2017, according to a State Department website.
Over 1 million Rohingyas reside in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which borders Myanmar. According to the UN refugee agency, 95 percent of Rohingya households rely on humanitarian aid.
Others have fled to Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, and other countries.
Earlier this month, the United Nations warned that it would have to reduce monthly food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from $12.50 to $6 unless it secures more funding.
During a visit to Cox’s Bazar on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged that the UN would do everything possible to prevent ration cuts for refugees.
Lebanon has been grappling with multiple crises, including an influx of Syrian refugees, political gridlock, a financial collapse, a devastating explosion at Beirut’s port, and fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in October 2023, which displaced tens of thousands.
The US has long viewed Lebanon’s stability as vital to regional security and has worked to counter Iran’s influence through Hezbollah, part of Tehran’s Axis of Resistance against Israel.
As such, both Democratic and Republican presidents, including Trump in his first term, have approved more than $5.5 billion in humanitarian, military, and other aid to Lebanon since 2001, according to a USAID website.
