U.S. diplomats highlight focus on aligning foreign aid with Trump policy priorities
Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 08:52
![U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 15. in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/16/4625399e-0006-45f2-83ab-82dfc92f11b2.jpg)
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 15. in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]
U.S. diplomats on Monday stressed Washington's focus on aligning foreign assistance with President Donald Trump's policy priorities, saying that it should be a "force multiplier" to promote U.S. interests, while rejecting media criticism about cuts in overseas aid programs.
The State Department hosted a conference on U.S. foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific, where diplomats reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to foreign aid in the region, as concerns persisted over the effective closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development and its ramifications.
"We never got out of the foreign assistance business as some media narratives have [claimed]. In the review [of foreign aid], however, we saw an opportunity to fundamentally reimagine how foreign assistance is done, which required us to step back to examine the underlying principles that would guide our work," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP) Michael DeSombre said.
"The resulting principles — a strategic framework aligned with core tenets of the National Security Strategy — will guide our work to ensure that our programs remain focused and effective," he added, referring to the strategy document that the White House released earlier this month.
He laid out a series of principles, including supporting clearly defined U.S. foreign policy objectives, such as securing borders, ensuring the world's "strongest, most dynamic, most innovative, most advanced economy," and maintaining America's "unrivaled" soft power.
"All EAP programs moving forward will support these strategic themes outlined in the National Security Strategy and our Indo-Pacific policy priorities of investing in our alliances, advancing U.S. commercial engagement and combating transnational crime," he said.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker said that Washington will conduct its overseas aid programs in a targeted and effective manner, while reaffirming its "unwavering" commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
"Our foreign assistance needs to be a force multiplier as we safeguard our national security with the greatest military in the world, along with our allies and like-minded partners," she said.
She said that the United States wants to leverage foreign aid not just to temporarily help countries, but to provide tools that strengthen their region's peace and security in the long term, as she pointed to U.S. aid to the Philippines, a country that has struggled with China's territorial claims.
"The Philippines continues to face challenges in the South China Sea. We are providing support to private sector development in the Luzon corridor to bolster this key ally's economic resilience," she said, referring to an infrastructure project to support the Southeast Asian nation.
"Such assistance is just one example of a number of efforts that underscore U.S. commitment to maritime security, the freedom of navigation and collective defense in the South China Sea and beyond."
Her remarks hinted that the United States intends to use foreign aid as a tool to help counter China's growing assertiveness in the region. She did not mention China by name.
Hooker also said that the Trump administration will use foreign aid for other policy efforts to protect U.S. citizens, such as stopping the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals across U.S. borders, and ending scam operations that target Americans online.
Jeremy Lewin, who is performing the duties of under secretary for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, pointed out a shift from the "old" sort of foreign aid that he said focused on creating markets for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), nonprofits and the United Nations, as he explained U.S. health assistance to the Philippines.
"We are programming that in coordination with the Philippine government [...] in line with our overall global health strategy, which focuses much more on putting partner nations at the forefront of programming and delivering health assistance rather than the NGO complex," he said.
Underscoring the United States' commitment to foreign aid in the Indo-Pacific, Lewin dismissed a news report on a foreign aid halt as the "furthest thing from the truth."
"I think we are going to spend much more in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years than we ever have before, and we are going to spend it in different ways," he said.
The officials did not mention North Korea, though Trump has expressed his openness to resuming diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, giving rise to speculation that he could attempt to meet Kim when he visits Asia for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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