The U.S. State Department has instructed American diplomatic missions worldwide to immediately review all foreign aid programs to ensure compliance with newly expanded restrictions that bar funding for organizations working on family planning, diversity initiatives, or what the Trump administration describes as “gender ideology,” according to a diplomatic cable.
The directive follows the Trump administration’s expansion of the long-standing Mexico City Policy, commonly referred to by critics as the “global gag rule.” While the policy has historically focused on abortion-related activities, the new version significantly broadens its scope to include programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), gender identity, and transgender rights.
Under the revised rules, which take effect on February 26, approximately $30 billion in U.S. foreign assistance will fall under the restrictions, greatly increasing both the scale of aid affected and the number of organizations subject to the policy. Unlike previous versions, the expanded policy now applies to U.S.-based non-governmental organizations as well as foreign groups.
The cable, dated Wednesday, instructs State Department bureaus and overseas posts to begin assessing the projects they oversee and to consider appointing a focal point or establishing a “tiger team” to manage compliance with the new requirements. The restrictions will be included in all new grants and cooperative agreements and added to existing programs when additional funding is issued.
Officials anticipate that some organizations will refuse to comply and instead opt out of U.S. funding altogether. The cable includes an internal email address for reporting organizations that decline to adhere to the policy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to issue limited waivers to prevent the new rules from “unduly disrupting ongoing lifesaving programming, disaster response, and other critical priorities,” according to the cable. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Aid groups and civil society organizations have reacted with alarm, warning that the move could further destabilize an already strained global humanitarian sector. Many see the policy as effectively silencing civil society organizations in developing countries, particularly those working on women’s rights, public health, and gender-based violence.
President Donald Trump dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shortly after returning to office last year, a move that threw the global aid system into turmoil. Since then, his administration has aggressively curtailed programs related to diversity initiatives and transgender inclusion across the federal government.
First introduced by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the Mexico City Policy has been repealed by Democratic administrations and reinstated by Republican presidents. Trump restored the policy early in his second term, but its expansion was formally announced last week by Vice President JD Vance during the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington.
A major change in the updated policy is that foreign NGOs are now prohibited from using funding from non-U.S. donors—alongside U.S. assistance—for activities deemed prohibited. Previously, restrictions applied only to U.S. funds. U.S.-based organizations, by contrast, remain barred only from using American assistance for those purposes.
The cable outlines prohibited activities as those that “provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning; promote gender ideology; promote discriminatory equity ideology; or engage in unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion-related discrimination,” as well as providing financial support to other groups engaged in such activities.
Cristal Downing of the International Crisis Group said the policy was already burdensome for organizations operating in fragile environments and warned the expansion would have far-reaching consequences.
“This is an attempt at global social engineering,” said Downing, project director for gender and conflict at the think tank. “It will affect access to safe spaces for survivors of gender-based violence, women’s participation in peacebuilding, and a wide range of essential programming.”
Talking points included in the cable instruct U.S. diplomats to frame the policy as part of a broader overhaul of foreign assistance aimed at prioritizing efficiency, saving lives, supporting allies, and creating economic opportunities for the United States.
“Programs predicated upon advancing divisive social causes, globalism, and other radical ideologies have no place in our new foreign assistance architecture,” the talking points state.
