The World Food Programme said in a statement Monday evening that halting US funding could amount to a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme poverty and famine.
The World Food Programme said they are deeply concerned about the US halting funding for emergency food aid to 14 countries.
"We are in contact with the US administration to seek clarification and urge it to continue supporting these life-saving programs," the UN agency said in a post on its X platform.
Cindy McCain, the program's director general, urged world leaders to "assess the consequences."
"Cutting funding will exacerbate hunger, increase instability, and make the world far less safe," McCain wrote in a post on X.
Earlier, the Associated Press reported, citing a US official, that the Trump administration had informed the World Food Programme of the suspension of several of its humanitarian programs in the Middle East.
A USAID official stated that 60 letters were sent to cancel contracts, including with the World Food Programme.
A UN official also revealed that the World Food Programme has received official letters terminating contracts covering relief operations in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
The decision came five days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver for emergency food aid.
American decision
The Trump administration announced it would terminate 90% of USAID's foreign aid contracts because they did not advance US national interests, halting more than $60 billion in spending on humanitarian projects worldwide.
The decision to suspend US aid exacerbated economic crises in many countries, including Arab ones, and threatened the sustainability of vital development projects in the health and education sectors.
The suspension decision poses financial and social challenges for these countries and threatens the lives of millions of people, according to the Associated Press.
Granting agency
USAID grants total tens of millions of dollars and provide food assistance in poor countries, including Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Haiti, and Mali.
Many of the suspended grants fall under the Food for Peace program, which spends approximately $2 billion annually on donated American goods.
This program, which constitutes the largest portion of U.S. international food assistance, is jointly administered by the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development.