Legitimate expectations and the abrupt cessation of US aid: a human rights issue?
The abrupt cessation of US official development assistance (ODA), which began on Jan
20, 2025, was unprecedented. On that day the new US administration issued an Executive
Order freezing all ODA pending a 90-day review. After a series of court challenges,
the administration succeeded in drastically reducing ODA, including for health funding
through programmes such as the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR),
and largely dissolved the US Agency for International Development (USAID).