The advent of a second Trump presidency is having a crippling effect on humanitarian work across the globe, recent reports indicate.

The US Government’s freeze on the work of USAid, the world’s largest provider of humanitarian and development aid, could potentially result in thousands of deaths, aid agencies say.

They also say the 90-day freeze – the result of a Presidential executive order – threatens to collapse the global humanitarian aid economy that sustains the livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

From Syria to Somalia and from Ukraine to the refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, local NGOs and aid organisations reliant on suddenly frozen US funding are suspending programs or slowing down their delivery.

Although the suspension order exempted “life-saving humanitarian assistance”, agencies say the move is sweeping away the human rights of refugees, civilians in armed conflict areas and individuals fleeing persecution.

In the refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, more than 80,000 refugees are now without essential medical care, clinics have shut their doors and medicines are running out.

In Somalia, three million displaced people are being supported, largely by donations from USAid, with everything from health and sanitation programs to emergency food provision. President Trump’s order has shut down most of this work.

In Ukraine, USAid has spent billions of dollars on developing the Ukrainian economy, civilian infrastructure, and civil society since Russia’s invasion. In 2023, Ukraine was the number one recipient of USAID funds in the world.

Among programs that have had to cease operation since the executive order include HIV and tuberculosis prevention and support for injured war veterans or the families of soldiers killed in the conflict.

US-backed humanitarian operations in Syria which began following the collapse of the Assad regime late last year and the establishment of a new interim government have also been paused.

Aid agencies say the move has the potential to jeopardise Syria’s political, social and economic recovery and stability.

Frozen USAid cash has also meant that in Ethiopia there are stranded shipments of food rotting in containers, thousands of HIV patients and sexual violence survivors have been abruptly cut off from support.

Last year the US contributed $US1 billion to humanitarian work in the country. Agencies say f the funding does not resume, it could lead to deaths and an even larger humanitarian crisis in conflict-affected and food-insecure regions.

“The Trump administration’s cruel decision to issue immediate stop work orders on foreign aid is having an instant and devastating impact across the globe. The decision has abruptly shut down hospitals in refugee camps, put fleeing human rights defenders at risk of deportation and imperilled programs helping people prevent atrocities, survive in conflict zones and rebuild their lives amid ongoing waves of violence,” a statement from Amnesty International said.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), the largest US-based aid agency, is cutting thousands of staff, in yet another sign of the turmoil ripping through the humanitarian sector.

“We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing thousands of IRC personnel around the world,” the IRC said in a statement.

Layoffs have hit many other international NGOs and aid organisations, including the Danish Refugee Council, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Catholic Relief Services and FHI 360.

UN agencies are tightening their belts and considering beginning cuts, particularly for resettlement-related program.

The Trump administration has also suspended the US refugee resettlement program (USRAP), meaning thousands of people fleeing conflict and persecution, who had been approved for resettlement in the US, have had their flights cancelled. This includes Afghans who worked alongside US forces and agencies during its two-decade long presence in the country.

Many resettlement agencies, which help refugees find housing, learn English and find jobs are laying off staff and have no certainty about their futures.

Refugees already resettled in the US have seen the support and funding they receive for the first 90 days stopped. The funding is to pay rent and utilities, buy clothing, food, and other basic necessities.

During his first presidency, Trump stopped all refugee resettlement in the US.

All of this is not to mention mass the deportations of irregular migrants from the US, troops deployed to the border with Mexico to stop asylum seekers entering and halting the process for legally approved asylum seekers seeking permanent protection.

The US provides more than $55 billion in overseas aid, the largest total amount by any nation, but by far not the largest in relation to gross national income.

Right-wing social media platforms in the US have been reporting that foreign aid constitutes 25 per cent of the US federal spending. In reality, it is less than 1 per cent.

Apart from the dire humanitarian consequences, observers say the move to suspend and potentially end foreign aid, will have diplomatic and ‘soft-power’ consequences for the US, giving players such as China, Iran and Russia more influence in the developing world.