On December 4, 2017, President Trump signed Memorandum 2017-28026, formally delegating to the Secretary of State broad authority under sections 506(a)(2)(A) and 652 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Section 506(a)(2)(A) authorizes emergency drawdowns of military equipment and supplies for foreign nations, while section 652 governs the furnishing of military assistance. By transferring this authority from the President to the State Department, Trump shifted significant discretionary power over emergency foreign aid allocations and military assistance determinations to the cabinet-level official charged with diplomatic relations.

The practical effect reached beyond bureaucratic realignment. The Secretary of State gained unilateral capacity to approve emergency military assistance to allied nations and to determine when humanitarian crises warranted urgent aid transfers, decisions typically reserved for direct presidential oversight. This delegation affected every foreign government receiving U.S. military equipment during emergencies, from NATO allies to Middle Eastern partners, as well as the State Department personnel who would now exercise this authority without requiring presidential sign-off for individual determinations.

This 2017 delegation established the administrative foundation for subsequent foreign policy actions that would expand throughout the administration's tenure. The expedited $8.6 billion arms deals to Persian Gulf countries and Israel in 2026, which circumvented standard congressional review procedures, operated within a framework where State Department officials possessed delegated authority to fast-track military assistance. Similarly, the deployment of troops to the Middle East in 2026 for Iran maritime operations and the continuation of national emergency declarations regarding Iran reflected a foreign policy apparatus where the Secretary of State wielded significant autonomous authority over assistance and sanctions determinations initially concentrated in presidential hands.

The delegation raised constitutional questions about the degree to which emergency powers could be transferred away from executive discretion. However, no documented legal challenges blocked the memorandum's implementation. Congress maintained oversight authority through appropriations and reporting requirements, yet the initial transfer of decision-making authority proceeded without legislative opposition or reversal, creating a permanent alteration to the structure of foreign assistance decision-making.