CIVICUS speaks about the impact of the US funding freeze with Ginna Anderson, Associate Director of the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights and leader of its Justice Defenders Program.
The Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze in early 2025 has sent shockwaves through civil society, forcing organisations to halt critical programmes and lay off staff virtually overnight. This sudden withdrawal of support has particularly affected rapid response mechanisms designed to protect human rights activists facing immediate threats, leaving them without crucial assistance even as attacks on civic space are intensifying globally. For initiatives such as the Justice Defenders Program, which has operated for over a decade with bipartisan support, the abrupt funding cut exemplifies how quickly established partnerships can unravel, threatening years of progress in protecting people who defend human rights.
