Trump administration to block foreign aid to those promoting abortion, DEI and gender identity

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is expanding restrictions on U.S. foreign aid for groups that support abortion services to include assistance to international and domestic organizations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

An administration official said Thursday that the State Department will issue final rules expanding the scope of the “Mexico City” policy that has severely curtailed aid to international organizations that provide abortion-related care. The policy was first instituted under President Ronald Reagan, repealed by subsequent Democratic administrations, and reinstated during Trump’s first term.

The new rules, first reported by Fox News, would block foreign aid not only to groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning, but also to those who advocate “gender ideology” and DEI, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the rule’s publication in the Federal Register on Friday.

The change, which threatens billions in funding for groups around the world, was announced this week by the Trump administration overturning Roe v. It was part of a series of actions timed to mark the anniversary of the Wade ruling and the annual March for Life demonstration by anti-abortion activists in Washington.

The official said the expanded policy would apply to more than $30 billion in foreign aid provided by the U.S. and would cover not only foreign and U.S. aid agencies but also international organizations.

LGBTQ+ and abortion rights advocates said the changes would force humanitarian aid groups and others to choose between U.S. funding and the sometimes completely unrelated life-saving services they provide around the world.

“The Trump administration’s expanded global gag rule puts politics between people and their care,” Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “Simply put, the White House is putting medically necessary health care for people around the world at risk in the service of a political agenda.”

“It’s hard for me to even imagine how devastating this will be,” said Beirne Roose-Schneider, senior policy fellow at the Council for Global Equality.

Anti-abortion advocates welcomed the expansion. Marjorie Dennenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a call with reporters that the Trump administration presented them with other new actions. Among them were funding freezes by the National Institutes of Health and the Small Business Administration that launched a review into Planned Parenthood’s use of Covid-era loans for research using human fetal tissue.

“All of these things are fantastic news,” Dennenfelser said.

It was not immediately clear how significant the impact of the extension of the foreign aid ban would be. The Trump administration has already cut hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main provider of U.S. aid.

But if the new rules are written as expected, “many more billions” of dollars will be affected than in any previous period, said Jane Cates, senior vice president and director of the Global and Public Health Policy Program at the health care research nonprofit KFF.

It is also the latest attempt by the Trump administration to take aim at DEI programs in the federal government. The White House reposted a Fox News article on X confirming the plans, but did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.