The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has spent years targeting free speech, but its reign of error is ending, as the new president abruptly told employees not to show up to work.
President Donald Trump just announced his decision to temporarily shut down USAID’s headquarters while he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decide whether to axe the corrupt agency altogether. One key fact that has not been as widely reported is that USAID was indirectly pushing censorship initiatives, targeting free speech online under the guise of targeting “hate speech” and “misinformation.” And as recently as 2023, USAID reportedly announced grants to entities for “countering disinformation,” while in 2025, it reaffirmed its commitment to suppressing certain free speech. The censorship is coming back to bite the censors.
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