WTO and ILO quietly dropped from latest US foreign aid cut list
Trump admin walks back some funding cuts
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) have been quietly removed from the White House’s latest list of foreign aid cuts, the two Geneva-based agencies confirmed on Thursday.
This change follows backlash over the Trump administration’s announcement last week to cancel $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid. The cuts were pitched as a move to slash “woke, weaponised, and wasteful” government spending.
ILO and WTO were originally on the chopping block
The original memo included plans to slash $107 million in ILO funding and another $29 million from the WTO. But by midweek, both organizations had vanished from the updated version of the document.
The WTO told AFP it is “not on the funding cut list any more,” while the ILO said it is aware of its removal but is still seeking clarification on what it means for ongoing projects.
Impact already felt before the reversal
Even before this recent development, the ILO said most of its US-funded projects had already been shut down after earlier funding orders. Of the 229 staff working on American-funded initiatives, 190 were initially told their roles were ending—though more than half were later reassigned to other work.
The US still owes big
Despite being the biggest donor to the WTO—contributing about $28.5 million this year—the US has yet to pay its 2024 or 2025 contributions to either organization. The same goes for the ILO, where the US typically covers 22% of the regular budget.
Late payments from member countries aren’t unusual, but the uncertainty has cast a shadow over how long international institutions can rely on US support under the current administration.
