Trump administration redirects over $175m in human rights funding, Guardian reports

The Trump administration has moved to allocate more than $175 million from the State Department’s flagship human rights fund to awards including an anti-communism initiative and support for white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, according to the Guardian.

The allocations include $40 million for an anti-communism fund, a campaign targeting Brazil’s supreme court and European programs intended to reward ideological allies who defend norms associated with Western civilization.

A source familiar with the negotiations told the Guardian that the department committed the money to recipients on Wednesday, hours before the funding expired, despite congressional concerns and requests to hold off.

The State Department declined to answer the Guardian’s specific questions about whether it had committed the funds or overridden congressional holds related to concerns about their use.