US state department told to terminate nearly all its overseas pro-democracy programs
Source: The Guardian
US state department told to terminate nearly all its overseas pro-democracy programs
Exclusive: All but two of the programs awarded under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor would be cut, affecting nearly $1.3bn in grants
Andrew Roth in Washington
Thu 26 Jun 2025 14.00 BST
Last modified on Thu 26 Jun 2025 14.48 BST
The US state department has been advised to terminate grants to nearly all remaining programs awarded under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), which would effectively end the department’s role in funding pro-democracy programming in some of the world’s most hostile totalitarian nations.
The review could affect nearly $1.3bn in grants, three state department officials told the Guardian, citing briefings on the results of a Foreign Assistance Review produced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Of 391 active grants, only two were not recommended to be cut, the officials said. They concerned one program in China and one in Yemen.
The recommendations would “terminate about 80% of all US government foreign assistance at the state department”, said a state department official briefed on the findings of the review.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/26/us-state-department-overseas-pro-democracy-programs