More and more details are coming to light regarding the foreign influence operations conducted through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), turning what is already one of the biggest scandals in modern history into a crisis that extends beyond the United States to the broader Western hemisphere. Hungarian State Secretary for International Communication and Relations Zoltán Kovács shared some of the latest revelations, warning that Brussels is now seeking ways to sustain the network without the backing of its ‘Big Brother’.

In a post on his blog, About Hungary, Kovács highlights that USAID—originally established for humanitarian and development assistance but long since transformed into one of the most influential backers of mainstream media organizations and NGOs across the world—has been quietly financing 6,200 journalists and 707 media outlets worldwide, including in Hungary.

‘Official records show that under the Biden administration, it funded hundreds of media NGOs—many of which operate as lobbying organizations rather than neutral press outlets. In Ukraine, for example, 9 out of 10 media outlets were reportedly funded by the Biden White House,’ Kovács writes.

In late January Trump ordered a 90-day halt to all US foreign assistance, while simultaneously placing thousands of USAID officials on administrative leave. The purge at the agency, led by Elon Musk, co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency, has brought a flood of sensitive information to light regarding USAID’s funding of foreign NGOs and media outlets. In doing so, Trump and Musk have exposed the entire Western mainstream media establishment, including some of its most prominent outlets such as The New York Times and the progressive mouthpiece POLITICO, both of which received substantial funding in recent years.

USAID Is Everywhere

While the Hungarian government has long been vocal about the foreign financing of the opposition and government-critical media in the country, the USAID files now make the situation undeniably clear—and, to be honest, more than a little unsettling.

According to Zoltán Kovács, former USAID Administrator Samantha Power visited Budapest in 2023 and met with Hungarian media-focused NGOs at the Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library. Officially, the meeting was about ‘press freedom’. In reality, it was a strategic discussion on how to expand the reach of opposition-aligned media with US financial support.

Among the Hungarian media outlets benefiting from USAID’s generosity were:

• 444.hu – Lost over HUF 8 million (~$22,000) after recent funding cuts;
• G7 & Jelen – Lost HUF 7 million each (~$19,000);
• Klubrádió & Magyar Hang – Lost over HUF 10 million each (~$27,000);
• Tilos Rádió – Lost HUF 7 million (~$19,000).

Kovács highlights a broader regional pattern, with Poland—another conservative stronghold until the October 2023 elections—also heavily affected. According to the state secretary, Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s leading left-leaning newspaper, lost access to substantial fundings, receiving $20 million over the past eight years. Investigative outlet Okopress, which had received $1.5 million since 2018, also saw its funding cut.

Other affected organizations include the Mariusz Szczygieł Fundacja Instytut Reportażu, which hosted left-wing political events and received $500,000, and the migration advocacy group Polskie Forum Migracyjne, which had been granted $2 million since 2017.

‘Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland’s leading left-leaning newspaper, lost access to substantial funding, receiving $20 million over the past eight years’

The fact-checking portal Demagog, known for countering migration-related concerns, also lost its USAID funding, as did the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, which provided legal support for journalists, activists, and asylum seekers. Krytyka Polityczna, a major progressive activist network, had received approximately $5 million to support its political initiatives. The funding cuts mark a shift in US financial support, significantly impacting media and activist groups aligned with Poland’s left-liberal opposition.

An article by Brussels Signal covering USAID’s influence in Eastern Europe highlighted Moldova as one of the region’s biggest recipients of US funds, with the agency serving as a major financer of Moldova’s Electoral Commission. One $20 million project, the ‘Moldova Resilience Initiative’, was initially planned to last only one year (2022–2023) but was later extended until 2026. The project aimed to ‘strengthen popular support for a democratic, European Moldova’ by ‘uniting Moldovans around a shared European identity.’

‘Why was the United States trying to Europeanize Moldova instead of the European Union?’ Brussels Signal posed as a rhetorical question before immediately answering it: ‘the US was acting at all levels across Europe to artificially create a favourable political atmosphere for progressive, liberal democratic politics.’

The scale of funding and its impact cannot be overstated. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced on Monday that it would suspend humanitarian work in nearly 20 countries worldwide, as reported by Reuters. In 2024 the NRC received approximately 20 per cent of its budget—around $150 million—from US funding.

Euractiv also reported panic through affected NGOs. ‘Many programs have already been suspended,’ said Olivier Bruyeron, president of Coordination Sud, a network of 182 French NGOs working in international solidarity. ‘All NGOs are anxiously waiting to see whether their programs fit into the categories defined by US authorities, but the truth is that nobody knows, because no one at USAID is responding anymore,’ a French aid worker based in Asia explained, who fears a major wave of layoffs.

Brussels to Fill the USAID-Hole?

But without USAID funds, who will finance these so-called ‘independent’ projects? No worries, the global elite, as expected, already has a plan. According to Kovács, Brussels is preparing to take USAID’s place, with the European Union stepping in to fill the void left by halted US funds. The strategy is clearly outlined in an article published by the Brussels-based liberal outlet EUObserver, which states:

‘The EU can be one of its crucial actors: not by simply substituting itself for the US by increasing its contributions, but by first and foremost positioning itself as a voluntary actor for a deep change of the system.’

As Kovács points out, progressives are not even attempting to conceal their transformation agenda. German Green MEP Daniel Freund openly stated that European institutions should step in to replace USAID’s funding mechanisms. In a post on X, the frequent and outspoken critic of Hungary admitted that back in October 2024, he met with USAID officials at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC, where ‘they told me they were funding rule of law, anti-corruption, and pro-democracy programs in Hungary with several million dollars per year’—exactly as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has stated for years. Yet, when Hungary introduced the Sovereignty Protection Act to counter such foreign influence, Brussels responded with an infringement procedure.

‘It should be the duty of the EU to fill this funding gap. It is in our very own interest because if no one checks on corruption in Hungary anymore, Orbán and his cronies will steal more and more EU funds,’ Freund concluded in his post.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. As Kovács explains, USAID’s funding was only one element of a broader strategy: ‘Control the narrative, discredit conservative governments, and shape public opinion to serve globalist interests.’

With the funding centre shifting from Washington to Brussels, Hungary’s fight for its sovereignty is entering a new phase, according to the state secretary. ‘The question remains: Will European nations stand up against this influence campaign, or will they allow Brussels to become the new headquarters for political manipulation?’ he concluded.

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