The U.S. State Department has given the green light to provide funding in response to the destructive flooding taking place in Pakistan. This marks the first instance of such aid being sanctioned under the second Trump administration.
The United States is standing with the people of Pakistan, who have had their lives significantly disrupted by the large-scale and disastrous flooding. On September 5, a monetary response was approved by the U.S. Department of State to deliver food, shelter, and other forms of vital disaster relief to the affected communities.
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The State Department has not disclosed the total amount allocated for the recovery efforts from the flood. Simultaneously, the U.S. military’s Central Command has provided an immediate shipment of ‘urgent, life-saving assistance to Pakistan’ following the flood, according to a previously issued press release.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for making substantial cuts to foreign aid, including the closure of USAID, the agency typically tasked with coordinating the U.S. response to natural disasters in foreign countries.
Jeremy Lewin, serving as Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom at the department, praised the aid for Pakistan as a success for the Trump administration’s policy. The department was able to deploy U.S. government disaster response personnel, program new assistance to support more than 300,000 affected people, and coordinate military deliveries of vital aid supplies, all within 72 hours, according to Lewin.
A fresh downpour of heavy rain in early September aggravated the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. Reports indicate that more than 1.3 million have been displaced by the floods, and hundreds have lost their lives.
As Americans, we understand this devastation and will be contributing lifesaving disaster relief that will deliver food and shelter to impacted communities across Pakistan,’ said Bethany Poulos Morrison, the State Department’s senior official for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
