The cost of freezing foreign aid.

From Marketplace, I'm Sabrina Beneshore and for David Brancaccio.

The Trump administration rescinded in order freezing federal grants, but not for an aid.

That is still suspended for a 90-day review.

In the meantime, aid groups say lives could be on the line.

Marketplace's Nancy Marshall-Genzor reports.

The State Department did make some exceptions to its freeze on foreign aid. Secretary of State

Marco Rubio issued a waiver allowing deliveries of things like life-saving medicine, food, and shelter.

But Jeremy Keneindig, president of Refugees International, says most U.S. foreign aid is still suspended.

He's worried that people will die because vital health programs are on hold.

Battling TB, all sorts of global health activities, safe motherhood activities, safe childbirth, are also still suspended.

There's a lot of confusion over what programs are covered by Secretary Rubio's waiver and

can restart. The nonprofit Church World Service supports tens of thousands of refugees in Africa.

George Devendorf, its Senior Director of External Relations, says they get more than half their

total funding from the federal government.

And right now,

The only thing that we are truly confident in is that we have been instructed to stop work on our U.S.

government funded programs.

Devendorf says he understands the need for periodic reviews of foreign aid.

But with the funding cut off

during the review process? It remains to be seen how intensive reviews will be done of

programs that by the time the review arrives may have, frankly, already disbanded.

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