Overview

• The Trump administration froze hundreds of millions in funding for 21 unfinished water and sanitation projects across 16 countries, leaving sites half-built since January.
• Local communities in Kenya, Nepal, Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo face heightened flood hazards, unsafe water collection and disease outbreaks after irrigation canals and water kiosks were left incomplete.
• A U.S. embassy memo warned that abandoned infrastructure could damage U.S. credibility abroad and boost extremist recruitment in vulnerable regions.
• Only Jordan’s $6 billion desalination plant project has had funding restored following a diplomatic push by King Abdullah, while projects in Ethiopia, Tanzania and the DRC remain stalled.
• NGOs and local officials are urging the U.S. State Department to resume aid to complete critical works and avert a looming public health crisis.