Poorest Countries Pay Millions to Trump-Linked Lobbyists Amid US Aid Cuts

Poorest Countries Pay Millions to Trump-Linked Lobbyists Amid US Aid Cuts
———————————————
An investigation by Global Witness reveals that some of the world’s poorest nations are paying millions to lobbyists connected to former US President Donald Trump to compensate for drastic cuts in US foreign aid, The Guardian revealed. Countries including Somalia, Haiti, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have signed significant lobbying contracts with firms tied to Trump following his administration’s reduction of humanitarian assistance.

Within six months after the 2024 US election, contracts worth $17 million were signed between Trump-linked lobbying groups and low-income countries that were once major recipients of USAID support. The DRC, which faces ongoing conflict over its mineral wealth, signed contracts totaling $1.2 million with Ballard Partners, a firm closely associated with Trump. This deal is linked to a mineral agreement granting US companies access to critical resources like lithium, cobalt, and coltan.

Somalia and Yemen contracted BGR Government Affairs for $550,000 and $372,000 respectively, while Pakistan signed multiple contracts worth $450,000 monthly with Trump-connected lobbyists, including the president’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller.

Experts warn that these arrangements, driven by US aid cuts and a rush for rare earth minerals vital to national security, risk exploiting vulnerable countries. Emily Stewart of Global Witness cautioned that dealmaking in Washington has become “more desperate and less favourable” to low-income nations, emphasizing the need for transparent, fair agreements that separate aid from trade interests.