Neoconservative advocates of global “democracy” promotion are up in arms over the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) move to freeze funds for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Eli Lake, writing in Bari Weiss’s The Free Press, contends that “NED, a key U.S. instrument for supporting grassroots freedom movements around the world, is under siege from Elon Musk’s DOGE.”
According to Lake, the DOGE-initiated funding freeze has “crippled the organization.” The neoconservative writer goes on to assert: “NED’s dismantling would be far more than a cost-cutting measure. It would symbolize a major change in U.S. foreign policy, undercutting the notion that democratic ideals foster U.S. global strength and influence.”
In halting NED’s funding, Lake argues, “…the Trump administration would be signaling that it no longer believes that promoting democracy around the globe is in the national interest.”
Lake’s essay was echoed on X (formerly Twitter) by The Free Press founder Bari Weiss, prompting a snarky response from DOGE chief Elon Musk. “What did NED get done last week?” Musk wrote in a reply to Weiss.
Established in 1983 during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the NED is a supposedly independent nonprofit that claims to be dedicated to bolstering democratic institutions worldwide. It allocates over 2,000 grants annually for nongovernmental group initiatives across more than 100 countries, primarily funded by U.S. government allocations through Congress.
Many allege it squanders funds on undermining conservative governments in allied nations such as Hungary while boosting leftist media and politicians. Similar allegations have been leveled against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with President Trump moving to essentially abolish the agency last week.
