Press Release
Published on January 25, 2025
Washington, D.C. – In response to the Trump administration’s decision to freeze almost all foreign aid, Human Rights First’s President and CEO Sue Hendrickson issued the following statement:
U.S. funding has been a lifeline for civil society around the world for decades. It has helped groups from human rights defenders to labor unions to faith-based organizations advance their rights and make their countries more democratic, stable, and prosperous and less likely to succumb to armed conflict and mass displacement. U.S. humanitarian aid has both saved lives and played a pivotal role in enabling other countries to continue to host and welcome refugees.
Even if this week’s abrupt, blanket freezes in U.S. funding are eventually lifted, they will cause significant and potentially permanent damage to the people and organizations who benefit from U.S. support – and to the U.S. interests that their work protects.
