The World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have confirmed they are no longer included in the White House’s latest round of foreign aid cuts, following a quiet revision of the list by the U.S. government.
The Trump administration had initially proposed a cancellation of $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid last Friday, sparking backlash from Democrats and international observers.
Among the original targets were $107 million in funding for the ILO and $29 million for the WTO.
In a memo justifying the cuts, the White House stated it was “committed to getting America’s fiscal house in order by cutting government spending that is woke, weaponised, and wasteful.”
President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, has already significantly rolled back U.S. involvement in international aid, including the effective dismantling of USAID, the country’s main humanitarian agency.
However, by Wednesday, the WTO had been removed from the funding cut list, and by Thursday, the ILO had also been excluded.
“We are aware of the removal of the International Labour Organisation from a US administration memo released on August 29,” an ILO spokesperson told AFP.
“We are seeking more information on what this latest development means for the ILO.”
The WTO also confirmed to AFP that it is “not on the funding cut list anymore.”
No official explanation has been provided for the reversal, which affects two major Geneva-based multilateral organisations.
Earlier in the week, the ILO had reported that most of its U.S.-funded projects had received closure orders following earlier executive decisions by Trump.
Out of 229 staff working on U.S.-funded ILO projects, 190 were initially issued termination notices, although more than half were later reassigned to other roles.
Despite the apparent reprieve, Washington has not yet paid its contributions for 2024 or 2025 to either the WTO or the ILO, a delay not unusual among member states.
Currently, the United States contributes CHF 23 million ($28.5 million) to the WTO, about 11.4% of its total budget and 22% of the ILO’s regular budget.
