By Raúl Antonio Capote on April 19, 2025 from Havana
When the details of President Donald Trump’s policy regarding the money spent on subverting order in countries considered enemies of the US became known, panic spread among the counterrevolution.
Once the funding cuts took effect, with the closure of USAID and other agencies and NGOs, panic turned to hysteria. How would they survive from now on?
To get an idea of the blow dealt to the centers of political and ideological subversion, press projects, and other groups working against Cuba, one need only look at a few figures.
Before the freezing of funds, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) received $2 million, money that was active until September 30, 2025.
The PADF disbursed more than $637,757 for “democracy” programs in Cuba, earmarked for the so-called independent media and the “free” flow of information.
Since 2020, ADN Cuba has received a total of $3,072,123 from USAID, of which, as far as is known, it has spent less than half. And where is the rest? The final destination of these resources is unknown.
The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba received $2 million. To date, the organization has spent $723,631 from its headquarters in Florida.
Following this line of conduct, in December 2022, USAID granted a budget of $1.5 million to the Democracy Support Group (GAD), of which $869,994 had been used until recently for economic aid to the counterrevolution and donations.
Also in this vein, the Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH) received a $1.5 million fund, valid until September 30, 2025, for the program of “humanitarian assistance to persecuted individuals in Cuba” certified under the “Foreign Assistance Program.”
Meanwhile, Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA) had a budget of $1.5 million to “improve food security and health conditions for political prisoners in Cuba.”
There was no shortage of money for Freedom House, nor for the renowned International Republican Institute (IRI), both with a long history in the dirty war against Cuba. The former received $1 million and the IRI $1.5 million.
As if that were not enough, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) of the Department of State (DoS) provided substantial funding to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The contract awarded $6,172,839 to “promote democracy, pluralism, independent media, and political activism on the island.”
Since September 2024, the Department of State (DoS) has funded several installments of El Toque, through the companies Mas Voces Foundation and Media Plus Experience, totaling $292,369. In addition, the counterrevolutionary media outlet received a similar amount from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and USAID.
The aforementioned agency (USAGM) awarded a contract to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies INC, administered and managed by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), for $27,037for a global program that includes Cuba.
In the case of the island, this is a program to train and support “independent artists, activists, journalists, and writers.”
From 2020 to date, CUBANET has received approximately $2,572,493 million from USAID and the same amount from NED.
Added to this is the money from Open Society, founded by George Soros and based in Washington, which plays a prominent role in supporting entities with a long history of subversion against Cuba, not to mention, of course, the secret funds of the CIA and other agencies.
Giving up this money is not easy. As can be seen, a lot of US taxpayers’ money is being wasted on a senseless war with no tangible achievements, although, well, it does have a purpose: to keep those who serve a foreign government against their own country on the pay roll.
How much would it cost a US citizen to commit such a crime? How many years in prison would they receive for acting against their country in exchange for money?
Raúl Antonio Capote is a Cuban writer, professor, researcher, and journalist. He is the author of Juego de Iluminaciones, El caballero ilustrado, El adversario, Enemigo, and La guerra que se nos hace.
Source: Cuba en Resumen