Act Now: Lift the Freeze on Lifesaving U.S. Foreign Assistance

A recent suspension of U.S. foreign assistance programs is putting lives at risk. As part of an administrative review, the Trump administration has halted funding for many critical global aid initiatives—programs already approved by Congress and essential to health, refugee support, food security, and disaster relief efforts worldwide.

This funding freeze disrupts vital programs such as:

  • Global health initiatives, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which provides HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services.

  • Refugee integration programs, such as those run by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), helping displaced persons and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders, including Afghan allies.

  • Food security and disaster response programs, including USAID’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSN) and SERVIR, which assist governments and aid agencies in making life-saving decisions.

  • Lifesaving hospital care, including funding for Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), a Lutheran World Federation medical facility in East Jerusalem that provides critical treatment to Palestinian patients.

As people of faith, we are called to serve our neighbors, especially those on society’s margins. The ELCA’s social statement For Peace in God’s World affirms that “our nation has responsibility to contribute a portion of its wealth to people in poorer nations through effective economic assistance.” When this funding is frozen, it disrupts essential aid and puts vulnerable lives at greater risk.

Your voice matters. We urge you to contact your congressional representatives and ask them to take action in restoring this aid. The ELCA has provided a template letter that you can personalize with your own words and convictions.

👉 Act now to help lift the funding freeze: Click here to send your letter

Together, we can advocate for the restoration of these vital programs and ensure that the U.S. remains committed to serving the most vulnerable among us.

ELCA, NewsBrian FlatgardAdvocacy, ELCA Advocacy, Church and SocietyComment