Politico reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration is getting ready to stop U.S. federal money from going to groups and governments that support gender identity, diversity, or inclusion projects abroad. The measure is being called an extension of the Mexico City Policy, which already says that U.S. health aid recipients abroad can’t provide or promote abortion services, even if they are paid for by other means.
If the changes go through, funding cuts would affect not only reproductive health programs but also non-profits, foreign governments, and UN agencies that work on issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, or transgender people. People who support the policy say that these kinds of programs are racist or hurt protections for women.
A high-ranking official from the State Department told Reuters that the department is still working to carry out what it calls President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. The official said that more steps would be taken to fix problems in earlier versions of the Mexico City Policy. This would make sure that no U.S. foreign aid goes to what they called “the woke agenda.”
Many international aid groups and nonprofits are worried about the expected ban. Many of these groups depend on U.S. donations to keep programs that promote gender equality, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ support services going. Critics say that the policy could hurt global progress in health and human rights by taking resources away from communities that need them the most.
If the new restrictions go into effect, they would be one of the biggest changes to U.S. funding limits related to social and reproductive policies. This could change how Washington interacts with international development and humanitarian efforts.
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