2026-10-02T09:00:45.222Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
一位知情人士告诉CNN，美国国务院将原本用于促进人权事业的数百万美元资金，转用于资助极右翼事业，其中包括南非的布尔人权利、维护“西方文明规范”，以及记录欧洲在大规模移民问题上的“倒退”。
这笔资金来自总额近1.77亿美元的民主基金。据该消息人士透露，尽管参议院外交关系委员会最高民主党议员提出了担忧并搁置了这笔拨款，但资金仍被拨付。这批资金本应在周三，也就是财年最后一天到期作废。
此次拟资助的项目符合特朗普政府的整体政策转向：不再秉持传统人权理念，转而聚焦所谓的言论自由压制和欧洲大规模移民问题，以及“自然权利”。其中两项拟议拨款分别针对巴西和南非——这两个国家均与本届政府存在外交摩擦——第三项则针对尼日利亚，美国政府此前指控该国发生了针对基督徒的“大规模屠杀”。
这是本届政府在拨款问题上绕过国会的又一例证。此前，该政府曾取消国会拨款用于难民、移民及其他服务项目的8.1亿美元资金。
该消息人士称，民主基金的资金通常用于支持威权国家或民主建设不足的国家的相关项目。但此次《卫报》率先披露的拟议拨款项目，却将资金投向了欧洲和英国。
当被问及这笔资金时，一位不愿具名的国务院发言人表示，他们已完成国会通报程序。
国务院发言人汤米·皮格特表示：“总统承诺要打击那些给我国和世界造成巨大破坏的破坏性觉醒议程。我们绝不会为捍卫西方文明、反对审查制度、结束大规模移民时代，以及采取行动打击南非政府主导的基于种族的歧视而道歉。”
据这位知情人士透露，尽管相关拨款仍处于搁置状态，国务卿马可·卢比奥已签署备忘录，正式拨付这批资金。参议院外交关系委员会 ranking member 参议员珍妮·沙欣已叫停了总计2200万美元的10项拟议拨款。
该消息人士称，这些拨款得到了白宫最高层的支持，其中包括副总统J·D·万斯。白宫则请国务院回应置评请求。
沙欣在一份声明中表示：“国会两党均为民主基金拨款，用于支持人权捍卫者、协助人权暴行受害者，并推动海外民主发展。”
这位新罕布什尔州的民主党议员称：“特朗普政府绕过国会，如今正用纳税人的资金在成熟民主国家推广极右翼组织和项目。这是对资源的浪费，破坏了美国的价值观，也损害了我们与包括欧洲盟友在内的民主伙伴的关系。”
被搁置的拟议拨款中，有一项用于打击巴西所谓的司法越权和审查制度。特朗普政府与卢拉政府关系紧张，此前还对巴西最高法院大法官亚历山大·德·莫莱斯实施了制裁。这位大法官曾主持审判前巴西总统贾尔·博索纳罗——特朗普的盟友。制裁已于去年12月解除。不过，美国还吊销了巴西驻美大使的签证，且唐纳德·特朗普总统曾与贾尔·博索纳罗的儿子弗拉维奥·博索纳罗会面，后者目前正在参与巴西总统竞选。
其他拟议拨款项目聚焦欧洲，其中一项500万美元的拨款用于支持“通过研究、公共辩论和政策改革，在欧洲建立文明联盟，以捍卫言论自由、政治竞争和国家主权”。
包括万斯在内的政府高级官员曾抨击欧洲国家存在言论自由倒退的问题，同时还与欧洲极右翼政治人士会面。
国务院民主、人权和劳工局高级官员塞缪尔·萨姆森去年曾主张，欧洲需要“文明盟友”。
他写道：“我们希望欧洲和美国都能重新致力于我们的西方传统，希望欧洲国家停止将政府武器化，对抗那些寻求捍卫这一传统的人。”
在第二届特朗普政府执政期间，民主、人权和劳工局经历了重大改革。
正如CNN去年报道的那样，美国国务院将要求其外交官在下次人权报告中，将多元化、公平性和包容性（DEI）政策的实施、所谓的大规模移民便利化，以及支持堕胎药物的政府资助列为“侵犯人权”行为。当时一位官员表示，该报告还将把重点转向言论自由等“自然权利”，此举很可能会针对传统欧洲盟友，指责其存在言论自由限制问题。
Trump administration shifts funds from human rights to supporting far-right causes
2026-10-02T09:00:45.222Z / CNN
The US State Department directed millions of dollars originally earmarked to promote human rights to promote far-right causes including Afrikaner rights in South Africa, safeguarding “Western civilizational norms,” and documenting “backsliding” in Europe related to mass migration, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The funds, which come from the nearly $177 million in Democracy Funds, were obligated despite concerns and holds by the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the source said. They were due to lapse on Wednesday, the last day of the fiscal year.
The proposed causes align with the Trump administration’s broader shifts away from traditional human rights to focus on causes like alleged free-speech suppression and mass migration in Europe as well as “natural rights.” Two of the proposed grants are focused on Brazil and South Africa – countries where the administration has clashed with the governments – and a third is focused on Nigeria, where the administration has alleged “mass slaughter” of Christians.
It marks another instance of the administration bypassing Congress on funding matters, following its move to cancel $810 million of funding that has been appropriated by Congress for refugees, immigrants and other services.
Typically, the money from the Democracy Funds is used to support programs in authoritarian countries or those with limited democracies, the source said. Instead, the proposed grants, which were first reported by The Guardian, include funding for programs in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Asked about the funds, an unnamed State Department spokesperson said they had completed congressional notification requirements.
“The President promised to combat the destructive woke agenda that has done so much damage to our country and to the world,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. “We will never apologize for defending Western civilization, opposing censorship, ending the era of mass migration, and taking action against government-sponsored race-based discrimination in South Africa.”
According to the source familiar with the matter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed off on a memo to obligate the funds despite the ongoing holds. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen had put holds on 10 proposed awards worth a total of $22 million.
The grants have buy-in from the highest levels of the White House, including Vice President JD Vance, the source said. The White House referred to the State Department for comment.
“Congress appropriated money for the Democracy Fund on a bipartisan basis to support defenders of human rights, to assist victims of human rights violations and to instead promote the growth of democracy abroad,” Shaheen in a statement.
“In bypassing Congress, the Trump Administration is now using taxpayer funds to promote far-right organizations and programs in established democracies,” the New Hampshire Democrat said. “This is a waste of resources and undermines American values and our relationships with democratic partners, including allies in Europe.”
The proposed grants that had holds include one to combat alleged judicial overreach and censorship in Brazil. The Trump administration has clashed with the Lula government and had imposed sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. The sanctions were lifted in December. However, the US has also revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the US and President Donald Trump has met with Flávio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s son who is running for president in Brazil.
Other proposed grants focus on Europe, including a $5 million award to support the development of “a civilizational alliance in Europe through research, public debates, and policy reform to safeguard freedom of expression, political competition, and national sovereignty.”
Top administration officials, including Vance, have lambasted European nations over allegations of free speech backsliding while also meeting with far-right European political figures.
Samuel Samson, a top appointee in the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, argued last year for the need for “civilizational allies” in Europe.
“Our hope is that both Europe and the United States can recommit to our Western heritage, and that European nations will end the weaponization of government against those seeking to defend it,” he wrote.
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor has undergone significant changes under the second Trump administration.
As CNN reported last year, the US State Department will require its diplomats describe enforcement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, alleged facilitation of mass migration, and government funding that supports abortion medications as “human rights infringements” in its next human rights report. The report will also shift focus to “natural rights” like freedom of speech, an official said at the time, in a move likely to target traditional European allies for alleged freedom of speech restrictions.