Trump administration cancels million-dollar democracy grants for several post-Soviet countries
Media freedom in post-Soviet countries is under threat (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The US has blocked funding for media, democracy, and anti-disinformation programs in several post-Soviet countries, according to The Washington Free Beacon and a post by the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on the social media platform X.
The US State Department has halted funding for foreign initiatives totaling $214 million, canceling 139 taxpayer-funded grants, according to the report.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) conducted an additional review of the remaining foreign aid grant programs following the State Department’s initial audit of overseas funding, which concluded in late February.
Although the initial review revealed foreign grants totaling $60 billion that were subject to cancellation, DOGE’s additional examination uncovered a significant number of grant programs that remain incompatible with the administration's policy, particularly those related to media propaganda programs.
Among the countries affected by the funding cuts are Belarus, Moldova, and several other post-Soviet states.
The following programs were canceled:
- $750,000 for "enhancing resilience and adaptation of civil society" in Kyrgyzstan;
- $2 million for "promoting democratic culture" in Armenia;
- $2.5mm for “advancing critical civic engagement” in Uzbekistan;
- $2mm for “Expanded Newsroom Sustainability and Engagement” in Moldova;
- $2.4mm for “Responding to Disinformation Through Creative Content in Belarus”.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed an executive order to cut the programs on Monday evening, with implementation beginning on Tuesday, April 15.
US funding cuts abroad
On his first day as president, Donald Trump ordered a 90-day suspension of all US foreign aid.
This effectively halted the operations of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) across all countries.
Certain functions of USAID were transferred to the State Department, which announced plans for a reorganization of the agency, set to be completed by July 2025.
Additionally, the Trump administration made significant cuts to funding for the State Department, as well as for the United Nations and NATO.
