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WASHINGTON, March 14 – The Trump administration official overseeing the dismantling of the main U.S. foreign aid agency proposed phasing out help for crisis-torn Lebanon and the Rohingya, the world’s largest stateless population, according to an email reviewed by Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written on February 16 by Peter Marocco, the acting USAID deputy administrator, the email provides a window into some of the thinking behind the administration’s drive to terminate aid programs that it does not believe benefit the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In it, Marocco appeared to want the Rohingya and Lebanon to express their gratitude for U.S. support, saying the U.S. “should procure some type of consideration or good faith from the recipient populations to the American people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The email directed Tim Meisburger, the head of USAID’s humanitarian affairs bureau, to draft an \u201cAction memo\u201d drawing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s attention to \u201cthe odd dependency\u201d of Lebanon and the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar on U.S. aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It should outline options for \u201chow we recommend, immediately, sending the signal, that though we have compassion, people had the warning on November 5, and things will have to change,” Marocco wrote, referring to Trump’s 2024 re-election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Please propose the best method and timeline of weening this dependency and what we might seek, from them \u2013 or partners. Nothing is owed,\u201d he wrote, apparently meaning an absence of any U.S. obligation to provide further support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A source with knowledge of the issue confirmed the authenticity of the email and that Marocco sought to phase out aid to the Rohingya and Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marocco “is not convinced these people need more aid,” the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department declined to comment. Marocco and Meisburger did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n