Story perspectives

Rubio Awards $175M Human Rights Projects Before Deadline

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. State Department Secretary Marco Rubio obligated $175 million from the Human Rights and Democracy Fund to projects.
The awards were approved hours before the September 30 fiscal deadline, bypassing congressional holds.
$40 million grant went to a consortium led by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
$1 million grant targets alleged judicial overreach and censorship by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen placed $22 million holds, saying the far-right grants undermine U.S. values and allies.

1 of 1

Story summary

U.S. State Department Secretary Marco Rubio obligated $175 million from the Human Rights and Democracy Fund to projects.
The awards were approved hours before the September 30 fiscal deadline, bypassing congressional holds.
$40 million grant went to a consortium led by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
$1 million grant targets alleged judicial overreach and censorship by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen placed $22 million holds, saying the far-right grants undermine U.S. values and allies.