Since returning to office, President Donald Trump’s administration has significantly altered U.S. foreign aid programs, labeling many long-standing initiatives as "not aligned with American interests" and cutting their budgets. Despite these changes, billions of taxpayer 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, which has undergone dramatic transformation under Trump, is now considering funding groups including a British free-speech organization and a British-American think tank focused on "existential threats to Britain, to America, and to our shared Judeo-Christian civilisation." After congressional pushback, one grant proposal was expanded to invite a broader set of groups to compete for $1 million in funding for similar purposes.

The State Department declined to confirm whether the British group Lex Libertas would be invited to apply but stated that the Trump administration has serious concerns about the human rights situation in South Africa. 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 in the country.

One proposed $5 million grant aims to support individuals facing "deplatforming" and to advocate against "restrictive online safety and hate speech laws," according to documents reviewed by ProPublica. Additionally, a recent call for proposals from the bureau would fund research, conferences, and cultural engagements in wealthy democracies to foster "civilizational self-confidence in Europe."

The founder of Lex Libertas stated the organization had "neither applied for nor been awarded a grant from the US State Department or any other branch of the US Government" and did not respond to further inquiries.

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