Lebanon’s education sector is facing uncertainty after US President Donald Trump’s decision to halt funding for the United States Agency for International Development.

On his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump signed several executive orders, including one suspending all US foreign aid programs for a period of 90 days. Commenting on USAID, Trump wrote on Truth Social Jan. 31 that its spending is “totally unexplainable” and suggested dissolving the agency to merge it with the State Department.

USAID employees were informed on Feb. 7 to leave the agency’s headquarters in Washington and staffers were put on leave. However, a federal court ruling on Feb. 8 blocked the move, stating, “All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until Feb. 14, 2025, and shall be given complete access to email and payment until that date,” per an internal email obtained by Devex Newswire.

Again on Feb. 14, a federal judge ordered Trump to temporarily lift the freeze on USAID funding globally since he did not offer “any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid.”