Since returning to office, President Donald Trump’s administration has significantly altered U.S. foreign aid programs, cutting budgets for long-established initiatives deemed "not aligned with American interests." Despite these cuts, billions of dollars allocated by Congress for foreign aid must still be spent, with lawmakers insisting on continued funding for humanitarian aid, global health, and pro-democracy efforts worldwide.

A recent investigation by ProPublica uncovered that a little-known bureau within the State Department, transformed under Trump, has considered funding groups including a British free-speech organization and a British-American think tank focused on "existential threats" to Western civilization. One notable proposal involved funding research on crime against Afrikaners in South Africa.

The State Department declined to confirm whether the British group Lex Libertas would be invited to compete for a $1 million grant but stated the Trump administration has serious concerns about the human rights situation in South Africa that need addressing. Over the past 18 months, Trump has claimed there is a genocide of white South Africans and cited disproportionate violence against white people to justify cutting U.S. funding for HIV treatment and research.

Additionally, a proposed $5 million grant aims to support individuals facing "deplatforming" and to oppose "restrictive online safety and hate speech laws," according to documents reviewed. The bureau also recently issued a call for proposals to fund research, conferences, and cultural engagements in wealthy democracies to foster "civilizational self-confidence in Europe."

The founder of Lex Libertas stated the organization has neither applied for nor received any U.S. government grants but did not answer further questions.

Sources