U.S-funded aid programs around the world have begun firing staff and shutting down or preparing to stop their operations, as the Trump administration's unprecedented freeze on almost all 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,

Patients and health care advocates said the abrupt decision to halt U.S. funding for a lifesaving H.I.V. program led to widespread confusion. The backtracking didn’t help.