The State Department directed millions of dollars from nearly $177 million in Democracy Funds toward proposed programs involving Afrikaner rights in South Africa, “Western civilizational norms” and claims of European “backsliding” related to mass migration, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Officials obligated the money despite holds and concerns from the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The funds were due to lapse Wednesday, the fiscal year’s final day.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the committee’s ranking member, said Congress had appropriated the money “to support defenders of human rights, to assist victims of human rights violations and to instead promote the growth of democracy abroad.” She said the administration was directing taxpayer funds to “far-right organizations and programs in established democracies.”
Where the Money Is Going
The proposed grants depart from the Democracy Fund’s usual purpose. According to the source, the fund typically supports programs in authoritarian countries or places with limited democracies; these proposals instead reach into Europe and the United Kingdom. The Guardian first reported on the proposed grants.
Two proposals target Brazil and South Africa, where the administration has clashed with their governments. A third concerns Nigeria, where the administration has alleged “mass slaughter” of Christians. The article gives no total value for all the proposed grants.
One proposed European award totals $5 million. It would fund “a civilizational alliance in Europe through research, public debates, and policy reform to safeguard freedom of expression, political competition, and national sovereignty.” Senior administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have criticized European nations over alleged free-speech backsliding and met with far-right European political figures.
Samuel Samson, a senior appointee in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, made the case last year for “civilizational allies” in Europe. “Our hope is that both Europe and the United States can recommit to our Western heritage, and that European nations will end the weaponization of government against those seeking to defend it,” he wrote.
Congressional Holds and Administration Action
Shaheen placed holds on 10 proposed awards worth $22 million. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memo obligating the money despite the holds, the source said. The grants had backing from the White House’s highest levels, including Vance. The White House sent questions to the State Department.
An unnamed State Department spokesperson said the department had met congressional notification requirements. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the president had promised to fight what he called the “destructive woke agenda.” He added: “We will never apologize for defending Western civilization, opposing censorship, ending the era of mass migration, and taking action against government-sponsored race-based discrimination in South Africa.”
The move came after the administration canceled $810 million that Congress had appropriated for refugees, immigrants and other services. The article says the cancellation and the Democracy Fund grants concern separate sums and programs.
Changing the Human Rights Portfolio
One grant under a hold would address alleged judicial overreach and censorship in Brazil. The administration has clashed with the Lula government and sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s trial. Bolsonaro is a Trump ally. The United States lifted the sanctions in December. It also revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the U.S., and President Donald Trump met with Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s son, who is running for president in Brazil.
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor has changed significantly under the second Trump administration. CNN previously reported that the State Department would tell diplomats to describe enforcement of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, alleged facilitation of mass migration, and government funding for abortion medications as “human rights infringements” in its next human rights report. An official said the report would also turn toward “natural rights” such as freedom of speech. CNN reported that the shift could target traditional European allies over alleged speech restrictions.