US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States will no longer bear the burden of providing the majority of global humanitarian aid.
He also called on other wealthy nations to step up following an earthquake that devastated parts of Myanmar.
“We're not the government of the world. We'll provide humanitarian assistance, just like everybody else does, and we we'll do it the best we can. But we also have other needs we have to balance that against,” Rubio said.
DAILY POST recalls that President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all US foreign aid on his first day in office.
That action, and ensuing stop-work orders halting many programmes of the US Agency for International Development worldwide, have jeopardized the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid, throwing into chaos global humanitarian relief efforts.
USAID itself has been largely dismantled as Trump and billionaire Elon Musk press ahead with an unprecedented push to shrink the federal government, with much of the agency's staff put on leave or let go and many of its grants terminated.
According to Rubio, it wasn't fair to expect that the United States would shoulder 60-70% of humanitarian aid around the world, stating that there were a lot of rich countries in the world that should pitch in.
He specifically cited China and India.
“We are the richest country in the world, but our resources are not unlimited. They are not unlimited, and we have a massive national debt. We have many other priorities as well and it's time to recalibrate all of that. So we'll be there. We'll be helpful as much as we can. We've got other things we have to take care of as well.
“China is a very rich country. India is a rich country. There are a lot of other countries in the world, and everyone should pitch in,” he said
