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Over the past 30 years, I have had the privilege of being involved in both private and U.S. government humanitarian work. In that time, as a political conservative, I have witnessed firsthand the deep inefficiencies and bureaucratic waste that plague foreign aid programs. Reform is not just a good idea, it is imperative. However, President Donald Trump's executive order last week suspending nearly all foreign aid for 90 days, effective immediately, is neither thoughtful nor compassionate. It is reckless and cruel and has indeed caused havoc both in Washington and around the world.

The consequences of this decision will be devastating for the world's most vulnerable populations. Innocent families living in refugee camps already stretched to the breaking point will bear the brunt of this sudden halt. The disruption of providing clean water, lifesaving drugs and training to people who are striving to create better lives for themselves and their families will result in illness and death. All of these people in desperate need are not just numbers in a budget or statistics in a report. They are human beings.

Locally, this freeze also strands refugees and Afghans who supported the U.S. mission and are already in the U.S. by cutting off funding to the community-based organizations in Minnesota that help them find jobs and housing. These programs have been a lifeline for Minnesota employers.

It is important to put this issue in perspective. Most Americans are unaware that foreign aid accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. annual budget. Nearly half of this funding goes to defense support for Egypt and Israel, which was exempted from the executive order. The remaining aid is intended for critical programs preventing human trafficking, providing health care, food, shelter, clean water and training that sustain millions of lives worldwide. To suspend these programs without warning is to turn our backs on the very principles of compassion and leadership that have defined America's role in the world for decades.

There is no question that a thorough audit and review of our foreign aid programs is long overdue. Duplication of efforts and inefficiencies need to be identified and addressed. But why must current disbursements be halted while this review takes place? Couldn't the government conduct its analysis without throwing countless lives into chaos? And to suggest that this "comprehensive review" can be completed in just 90 days defies logic.

This decision is not just a policy shift; it is a moral failure. Proverbs reminds us to "speak up for all those who cannot speak for themselves; defend the rights of the poor and the needy." Suspending aid to the extreme poor in the name of reform flies in the face of this wisdom. It punishes those least able to bear the burden of political decisions made thousands of miles away.

Reform should aim to improve lives, not jeopardize them. Real change takes time, planning and care. By rushing this process and stopping aid immediately, we risk throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater, except in this case, the baby is real and so are the consequences.

America has long been a beacon of hope and compassion. Let not bureaucratic expedience or political theater extinguish that light. Reform foreign aid? Absolutely, but do it with a heart. If we lose sight of the people behind the numbers, the angels will weep.

Ward Brehm, a retired business owner in Minneapolis, has partnered with many local and international organizations as an advocate for the extreme poor in Africa. He has traveled to sub-Saharan Africa over 50 times including as part of three presidential delegations to Ghana, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. In 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Citizenship Medal for his humanitarian work in Africa.