The Trump administration is set to allocate more than $175 million from the Department of State’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund (HRDF) to a slate of grants that critics say favor far‑right causes abroad. The funding, which expires on 30 September, includes a $40 million award to an anti‑communism consortium, support for a white Afrikaner rights group in South Africa, a campaign targeting Brazil’s Supreme Court, and programs that would reward European allies who defend what the administration calls “western civilizational norms.”
The State Department obligated the money to the grantees just hours before the deadline, despite congressional holds and concerns. A congressional aide noted that Senator Jeanne Shaheen had placed 10 holds on $22 million of awards, covering Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria and right‑wing projects in the United Kingdom and Europe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly signed a memo to override those holds and obligate the funds.
The grants, totaling $176.9 million out of the $205 million appropriated for the HRDF, were reportedly lobbied for by members of the Trump administration. Sources say the awards reflect the interests of figures such as JD Vance and Stephen Miller, who have warned of a collapse of traditional Western values and pushed anti‑immigration and white minority agendas.
Among the most controversial awards is the $40 million grant to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, an anti‑communist nonprofit that has received far smaller U.S. grants in the past. The foundation’s senior leader, Andrew Bremberg, is a former Trump White House domestic‑policy adviser. Another award, a $3 million no‑bid grant to the UK’s Jobs Foundation, would have supported a pro‑business policy that includes a “common good capitalism index” and promoted Brexit as a way to cut climate regulations.
The State Department said the programs were still in “active deliberation” and that all awardees would meet federal grant guidelines and undergo a “standard and rigorous vetting process.” Critics argue that the shift in U.S. support for dissidents and human‑rights defenders represents a departure from bipartisan goals and could undermine relations with democratic partners in Europe and elsewhere.
