The U.S. freeze on funding to the United Nations has led to hundreds of job cuts at two agencies that provide food and medical aid to millions of refugees worldwide. The American government's decision in January to withhold $450 million from the UN was a huge, huge shock, said Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency. He said about 325 jobs have been eliminated and another 700 positions will be cut as soon as June if more funding isn't secured. At the World Food Program, nearly 350 employees were told they could not work this month after the American government suspended its contributions to the program's Iraq account. The move led to a $30 million shortfall and prompted cuts in emergency food rations for refugees in Jordan, Ethiopia and elsewhere. The U.S. is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. But last year it demanded sweeping reforms from many UN agencies before providing additional funding. The Trump administration has also been highly critical of the UN's role worldwide and has slashed its contributions to some programs. Grandi called the job cuts unthinkable but said that without the full financial commitment of key donors, the agency will not be able to continue this lifesaving work. The World Food Program, which distributes food for refugees and other victims of war and natural disasters, appealed for $1.8 billion in 2019 to feed nearly 100 million people. It received a record sum, but that wasn't enough. The U.S. is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid, said Robert Jenkins, the program's North American director. So when they cut us off it has reverberations around the world. The Trump administration has also slashed contributions to several programs aimed at helping women and children in conflict situations, reducing them from $130 million in 2017 to about $61 million last year, according to USAID documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. freeze on funding to the United Nations has led to hundreds of job cuts at two agencies that provide food and medical aid to millions of refugees worldwide. The American government's decision in January to withhold $450 million from the UN was a huge, huge shock, said Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency. He said about 325 jobs have been eliminated and another 700 positions will be cut as soon as June if more funding isn't secured. At the World Food Program, nearly 350 employees were told they could not work this month after the American government suspended its contributions to the program's Iraq account. The move led to a $30 million shortfall and prompted cuts in emergency food rations for refugees in Jordan, Ethiopia and elsewhere. The U.S. is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. But last year it demanded sweeping reforms from many UN agencies before providing additional funding. The Trump administration has also been highly critical of the UN's role worldwide and has slashed its contributions to some programs. Grandi called the job cuts unthinkable but said that without the full financial commitment of key donors, the agency will not be able to continue this lifesaving work. The World Food Program, which distributes food for refugees and other victims of war and natural disasters, appealed for $1.8 billion in 2019 to feed nearly 100 million people. It received a record sum, but that wasn't enough. The U.S. is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid, said Robert Jenkins, the program's North American director. So when they cut us off it has reverberations around the world. The Trump administration has also slashed contributions to several programs aimed at helping women and children in conflict situations, reducing them from $130 million in 2017 to about $61 million last year, according to USAID documents obtained by The Associated Press.