- Contracts worth USD $17 million with Trump-linked firms were signed within six months of the 2024 US election, FARA records show
- 17 of the world’s Least Developed Countries and largest recipients of US aid – Angola, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq (Kurdistan), Liberia, Moldova, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Somalia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen – have signed lobbying contracts with US firms
- Pakistan’s government signed deals with Trump’s ex-bodyguard and former Trump Organisation executives
- The DRC signed multiple contracts while facing mass displacement and conflict over its mineral wealth
- Some nations are offering exclusive access to ports, bases, and rare earths in exchange for US support
Some of the world’s lowest-income and most aid-dependent nations are paying millions to lobbyists with ties to US President Donald Trump as the United States halts foreign assistance, a new Global Witness investigation has found
Many of these countries are home to one or more armed conflicts and are offering access to valuable natural resources, including minerals or other strategic assets, in exchange for humanitarian or military support.
Since the US election in November 2024, 17 of the world’s ‘least developed countries' and largest recipients of US aid – Angola, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq (Kurdistan), Liberia, Moldova, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Somalia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen – have signed lobbying contracts with US firms worth more than USD$21 million in fees paid until end-2025.
They have negotiated contracts worth more than $17 million in fees due in 2025 in the six months since Trump was elected, records submitted under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show.
Many of the bodies that have signed up to represent developing countries have current or former employees, partners or founders with connections to the 1st and/or 2nd Trump administrations.
The investigation comes as the DRC is primed to sign a mineral deal with the US for support against Rwanda-backed rebels, in exchange for providing American companies access to lithium, cobalt and coltan deposits.
While the revolving door between governments and lobbyists is nothing new, and countries seeking influence over US decisions that could dramatically affect them is to be expected, Global Witness is concerned by the wider dynamics that are driving new deals.
Global Witness Head of Policy for Transition Minerals Emily Stewart said:
“We’re seeing a dramatic cut in aid, combined with an explicit rush for critical minerals, and willingness by the Trump administration to secure deals in exchange for aid or military assistance.
“These dynamics create a potential situation where dealmaking in Washington is more desperate, less favourable to low-income countries and more open to resource exploitation at the expense of impacted communities.
“Deal making needs to be transparent and fair. It is vital to recognise the role that international aid plays in making a safer world for all, and that aid should retain its distinct role away from trade.”
