US allocates $800 million to UN food agency after cuts

The WFP (United Nations World Food Programme) stated this Wednesday (17) that it welcomed a contribution of US$800 million from the United States, following previous funding cuts by President Donald Trump's administration.

The resources will help scale up assistance and quickly respond to emerging crises at a time when global hunger is at record levels and the number of people facing acute hunger is expected to rise this year, WFP said.

The United States is the WFP's largest donor, but its contribution fell by more than half from 2024 to about $2 billion in 2025.

WFP said the new financing will allow it to pre-position food stocks, expand cash assistance programs and maintain supply chains in crisis-affected areas such as Lebanon, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The US has long been the world's largest humanitarian donor, although its contributions have varied significantly in recent years amid changes in foreign aid policy.

In 2025, U.S. humanitarian funding for the UN fell to about $3.38 billion, from $14.1 billion the previous year, after major spending cuts.

On Tuesday (16), the US State Department also announced US$218 million in assistance for UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

The WFP is under temporary leadership while the US seeks to nominate another American to head the agency following the resignation of Cindy McCain for health reasons.

Source: CNN