Hungary is not wasting any time. Government Commissioner András László, responsible for investigating US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding of government-critical NGOs and media outlets, has already flown across the Atlantic and is working diligently to track every cent of American taxpayers’ money spent on interfering in Hungarian domestic politics.
The Washington-based progressive outlet The Atlantic addresses the issue in a lengthy article titled ‘DOGE Gets a Foreign Ally’, reporting that the newly appointed commissioner was received in Washington by Peter Marocco, a senior American official recently appointed by US President Donald Trump to run USAID and manage the execution of the oversight process.
According to The Atlantic, László’s efforts have already yielded results, as Marocco recently ordered the termination of all USAID contracts in Hungary. The US official has also requested data from agency staff on US programmes in the country stretching back several years.
László also posted about his meeting with Marocco on social media, stating that the US official promised full transparency, not only regarding USAID-funded projects in Hungary but globally. The Government Commissioner emphasized that all documents related to the investigation will be made public by 20 April, the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a full review of the agency’s activities.
According to László, the total value of disclosed interventions in Hungary over the past four years amounts to at least $20.2 million. He stressed that he is determined to ‘get to the bottom of these interventions as soon as possible in preparation for next year's elections so that we can take the necessary measures to protect Hungary’s sovereignty.’ László concluded his post by explaining that he had submitted a series of questions to Marocco regarding USAID activities in Hungary and that the two would soon meet again to discuss further developments.
The Extended Hand of CIA
One of the first actions taken by Trump’s second administration was to halt almost all US foreign assistance for a 90-day oversight period in January. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the objective is to ensure that every cent of American taxpayers’ money spent abroad contributes to making the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous. USAID has long been regarded as one of the most controversial federal agencies, with many arguing that it lost its original purpose after the Cold War and now functions as an extension of the CIA, promoting progressive and woke agendas worldwide while undermining governments that reject such policies.
The newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-chaired by US billionaire Elon Musk, has made USAID its first target in efforts to cut back on government spending. After gaining access to the agency’s database, a flood of revelations began to emerge. The investigation uncovered an extensive, interconnected network of NGOs and media outlets—including some of the most prominent mainstream publications, such as POLITICO—receiving vast amounts of funding under the guise of foreign aid.
Hungary Prepares Its Own Magnitsky Act
Hungary has been heavily affected by USAID’s activities, with some of the country’s most prominent government-critical media outlets effectively surviving on US taxpayers’ money. Reuters even presented the impact of the USAID freeze on Eastern Europe using Hungarian news site Átlátszó as an example. The outlet is reportedly struggling to stay afloat following Trump’s decision. Its managing director, Tamás Bodoky, admitted that USAID funding accounted for up to 15 per cent of Átlátszó’s budget last year. He added that they are now searching for new donors and seeking to expand crowdfunding efforts.
USAID may have also played a key role in attempts to interfere in the 2022 Hungarian elections when millions of US dollars were channelled to the Hungarian opposition through the Washington-based NGO Action for Democracy, an organization with extensive ties to USAID.
The Atlantic also reached out to Bodoky for comment on László’s meeting with Marocco. He remarked that the meeting ‘makes it clear that Orbán and his allies hope that this new US government will somehow help them solve their issues with critics and the media.’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed his support for Trump’s efforts to expose USAID, stating that the world owes a debt of gratitude to the US president for revealing and putting an end to this ‘dark conspiracy’. He later announced that the Hungarian government would take steps to ensure that all US aid funding directed towards NGOs and media outlets is fully disclosed, declaring that ‘the time has come to eliminate these foreign networks.’
Orbán also addressed the issue in his annual State of the Nation speech, where he announced several measures aimed at curbing foreign influence in Hungarian domestic affairs, including a law similar to the US Magnitsky Act. He stated that by Easter, ‘[George] Soros’s network’s financial sluice gates’ would be shut down, and foreign funding for political activities blocked.
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