FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. State Department and Secretary Marco Rubio punched back at claims that contracts providing Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) have been halted and affirmed the agency will continue its commitment to "delivering critical humanitarian aid."
"As USAID transitions under the State Department, our commitment to delivering critical humanitarian aid remains steadfast and aligned with America's foreign policy priorities," a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement.
"We are proud to continue working with our local partners to deliver life-saving ready-to-use therapeutic food. Most recently, an additional $50 million in RUTFs was approved. This is enough to nourish over one million of the world's most vulnerable children."
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RUFTs' contracts and operations were previously overseen by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). However, oversight now lies with the State Department after USAID merged into the agency in February, largely influenced by then-Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk.
RUTFs are pre-packaged, nutrient-rich, ready-to-eat meals that help prevent malnutrition, mainly in children. Some countries even refer to RUTFs as a form of medicine.
The State Department's comments come after Secretary Rubio faced questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill in a May hearing, when Democratic Rep. Gabe Amo of Rhode Island confronted Rubio in a heated exchange, saying the agency was intentionally "freezing" RUTF aid to countries in need.
"You need to figure out why they're not moving, because it isn't an impediment for us," Rubio fired back.
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Amo responded, "No, you need to figure [that] out, sir," and said that the secretary "refused to make" a commitment to ensuring effective RUTF distribution.
"We're going to continue to do food aid," Rubio answered. "We're going to do more food aid than any other country on the planet, times 10."
A source at the State Department revealed to Fox News Digital that key partnerships with non-profit RUTF producers, MANA and Edesia, have been active since March 2. Additionally, 1.4 million boxes of RUTFs were approved on May 26.
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Fox also obtained an internal document and action memorandum for Jeremy Lewin, a former DOGE employee now overseeing the transition of merging USAID with the State Department, from USAID's Dianna Darney de Salcedo. The document called for urgent approval to move food commodities and RUFTs that were stored in warehouses to be shipped for use.
The sensitive but unclassified document also revealed a request to approve a new Title II award, valued at $35 million, which sources say was several times less than initially estimated, to cover the costs of warehouses, shipping overseas, transporting inland, programming and distribution.
Fox News Digital spoke to MANA CEO Mark Moore, who outlined a detailed timeline of RUTF federal contract negotiations and the challenges the non-profit faced as USAID merged into the State Department at the beginning of 2025.
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At one point, before the State Department and the Trump administration proposed contracts in May, Moore told Fox News, "We're all looking at June and July running out of these old contracts and saying we're just going to have to close the doors." He noted that "if this new order didn't come out, we'd really be screwed going into the summer."
"It is trending the right way, and we're thrilled," Moore added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Rep. Gabe Amo and Edesia but did not receive a response.
