The authorization reflects mounting logistical strain on the administration more than a week into a conflict that has closed airspace and grounded commercial flights across the region. The State Department has faced criticism from lawmakers and travelers who said the government failed to adequately plan for the war and moved too slowly to assist Americans once travel was disrupted.
The State Department authorized up to $40 million in emergency funds Tuesday to pay for charter evacuation flights for Americans leaving the Middle East, where the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has disrupted commercial air travel since hostilities began Feb. 28, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The funds come from a reserve normally set aside for emergencies involving diplomatic and consular personnel, the officials said. The department confirmed it had tapped the account but declined to say how much it had authorized.
“We have sufficient funding to cover our efforts to date,” the State Department said in a statement. “The administration will work with Congress should additional funding be necessary.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week waived the federal requirement that private Americans reimburse the government for evacuation transportation. Under federal law, such repayment is ordinarily obligatory.
The State Department said Tuesday it has organized more than two dozen charter flights carrying thousands of U.S. citizens from various Middle Eastern countries to either the United States or Europe. More than 40,000 Americans have returned to the United States from the region since the war began, though the department said the vast majority traveled home commercially without government assistance.
Of the more than 27,000 Americans who contacted the department for help, most declined when assistance was offered, opting to remain in their countries or book commercial flights independently, the department said. Charter flights have been running at less than 40% occupancy on average, it added.
The U.S. issued travel advisories urging Americans in 14 Middle Eastern countries to depart — a warning the department sent two days after hostilities began, as closed airspace and flight cancellations made commercial travel difficult.
The State Department has faced criticism from lawmakers and travelers who said the administration failed to adequately plan for the conflict and moved too slowly to respond once Americans were stranded. Such criticism of the department’s crisis response has been consistent across administrations, from the start of the Iraq War in 2003 to the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.