The cuts affect opposition activists and religious groups, raising concerns about a shift in US foreign policy. Photo: DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock.
Guacamaya, March 6, 2025. The US Department of State has abruptly and without prior notice canceled foreign aid programs aimed at supporting opposition activists and religious groups in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This decision, revealed in a report by El Nuevo Herald, has sparked concerns about a potential shift in US foreign policy toward these countries.
According to the report by journalist Nora Gómez Torres, the cancellation of these programs followed an internal review by the Department of State, which concluded that they did not align with the “national interest” of the United States. Among the affected programs are initiatives supporting activists in Cuba, backing religious groups opposing Daniel Ortega’s government in Nicaragua, and assisting activists opposing Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela.
The move has generated controversy, as many of the canceled programs were managed by the International Republican Institute (IRI), a nonprofit organization linked to the Republican Party, and were focused on providing support to activists, opposition organizations, and religious groups in nations like Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Of the 95 IRI programs funded by the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), only three remain active, though on hold, due to an executive order from President Donald Trump that froze foreign aid funds for 90 days. The remaining 175 IRI programs worldwide are in limbo, as they depend on funds allocated by Congress to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which currently lacks access to these resources.
On the other hand, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Democratic counterpart to the IRI, has also been affected by these cuts. Sources close to the organization informed El Nuevo Herald that around a hundred programs were canceled, leaving only one operational in the region, focused on Venezuela.
Regarding the cancellation of these contracts, the Department of State has not issued any official statements or explanations. As for employees, most of them, belonging to both institutes as well as the NED and other organizations working with foreign aid programs, have been placed on administrative leave.
It is unclear how the government will proceed, as numerous contracts have been canceled and staff have been placed on leave or dismissed. However, a recent Supreme Court ruling ordered the government to disburse part of the funds owed to some of these organizations and contractors for work already completed.
During a Senate hearing on US interests in the Western Hemisphere, Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott expressed opinions on foreign aid, reflecting the sentiment of some Trump administration officials about the need to justify the expenditure of these funds to taxpayers.
