The Guardian · US news · Original story
Trump administration diverts human rights funds to push far-right agenda abroad
Support for white Afrikaners, anti-communism and others reveals how US redefining what qualifies as human rights
With hours left before the funding expires, the Trump administration is pushing to direct more than $175m of the state department’s flagship human rights fund to a slate of awards that includes a huge $40m grant for an anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, a campaign against Brazil’s supreme court and programs that would reward ideological allies in Europe who protect “western civilizational norms”.
On Wednesday, the state department obligated the funds to the grantees hours before the deadline despite congressional concerns and requests not to do so, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The Guardian has reached out to the state department for comment on whether it had “blown” holds from Congress on releasing the funds due to concerns about their use.
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Andrew Roth and Joseph Gedeon in Washington · Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:59 AM
US news | The Guardian
Support for white Afrikaners, anti-communism and others reveals how US redefining what qualifies as human rights
With hours left before the funding expires, the Trump administration is pushing to direct more than $175m of the state department’s flagship human rights fund to a slate of awards that includes a huge $40m grant for an anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, a campaign against Brazil’s supreme court and programs that would reward ideological allies in Europe who protect “western civilizational norms”.
On Wednesday, the state department obligated the funds to the grantees hours before the deadline despite congressional concerns and requests not to do so, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The Guardian has reached out to the state department for comment on whether it had “blown” holds from Congress on releasing the funds due to concerns about their use.
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