U.S-funded aid programs around the world have begun firing staff and preparing to shut down their operations as an unprecedented Trump administration freeze on foreign assistance brings their work to a sudden halt.

President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause on nearly all U.S. foreign aid froze a globe-spanning apparatus that provides assistance ranging from weapons of war to lifesaving medicines. Under an executive order signed during his first week in office,

"There's a whole host of actions that it triggers that then will lead to impacts on contractors," said Stephanie Kostro.