Secretary Rubio – It’s Not Too Late To Prioritize Human Rights

After legal consequences, last week marked a turning point in U.S. foreign policy, away from protecting and defending human rights. As part of the planned restructuring, it is expected that approximately 80% of the U.S. State Department’s Democratic, Human Rights and Labor Department employees should be placed in the U.S. and globally on administrative leave, democratic and human rights organizations began to receive notifications that have been cancelled and those notifications have been cancelled.

These massive cuts, if conducted, lack strategy and vision, and contrary to public news, the vast majority of these plans have nothing to do with any “wake up” agenda. Instead, many of these programs are designed to protect fundamental freedoms. These cuts will put the U.S. back-end to the challenge of rights-polluting countries such as China, North Korea, Russia and Iran.

Many Americans want to eliminate wasteful spending. However, the task of reducing waste is not a directive that undermines national security. The average American should know that the type of plan to cut weakens the United States and undermines our ability to oppose our opponents.

I just returned from a trip to South Korea, where I met with incredible leaders in civil society who are committed to defending North Korea’s human rights and keeping Kim Jong Il’s regime accountable. Many grant funds foundations have cost-effective and life-saving information access to work to educate ordinary North Koreans about America’s kindness and outside truth. North Koreans who left North Korea generally acknowledge that access to information prompts them to escape first. The United States has lowered access to key information by free Asian radio, which ended its broadcast to North Korea in late April. The Chinese Communist Party is backfilling the information and submerging North Korea through other means. Other grant funds study forced labor programs for the Golden regime. Forced labor is a key source of funding, which is the regime’s private vault and can even be used for weapons development in the regime – including weapons that can be used to attack the continental United States, in other words, these grants improve U.S. national security. Without basic support, many of these organizations will exist by the end of the year.

Similarly, some of the most important human rights organizations with the vicious impact of CCP will also be severely hit. Bethany Allen of the Australian Institute of Strategic Policy, detailed the topic when issuing a “stop work order” and temporarily suspending grants earlier this year, warning that many groups could face extinction if cuts are made. It can be said that some of the most important organizations advocate for basic freedoms persecuted by Hong Kong people, Uygel people, Tibetans and others, and cannot be closed directly if it does not proceed directly as planned. Among other valuable reasons, these groups are often a key source of information about CCPs by the U.S. government and civil society. Losing opportunities for these resources is counterproductive and may be confused by U.S. foreign policy as the United States strives to fight the CCP.

It’s fair to ask why these organizations don’t have more diversified funding flows. But, in short, the private sector often finds that the funds of human rights programs are inconsistent with their financial interests and desire for market access, especially in China.

This is where American history is. The United States is the only country in the world with the technical skills and capabilities, historical participation and funding to support human rights efforts.

This knows nothing about losing the capacity of the institution. Many State Council staff who may have been cut have saved countless lives. They burned midnight oil to ensure the release of political prisoners, rescued and provided safe havens for political dissidents in the closed society, while promoting our interests. These people deserve promotions and honors for their public services, rather than taking a leave, but evacuated from the profession dedicated to the American people and promote the cause of freedom.

If these key plans in Asia are any indicators, these measures will not only impose ropes on the efforts of global civil society to safeguard and defend human rights, but they may, at least, end them completely. In addition to rapid changes, generations around the world will feel the resonance and impact of these decisions in the years to come.

What should I do?

First, Secretary Rubio has the right to change courses at any time. His legacy of Congress promoting human rights and freedoms is pending, and this legacy risk is permanently damaged. The Trump administration’s legacy of advancing human rights through promoting religious freedom in the first semester is also pending. At least, as organizations rely on these budgets, grant funds for 2025 should be restored to continue their operations by the end of the year. Key personnel of DRL should also be retained. There is no doubt that some of DRL’s plans can and should be strategically laid off, but almost all pre-existing human rights plans will be like cutting off the body and expecting U.S. foreign policy to work.

Second, Congress must take action. As a conservative government, the decision to expel Reagan’s peace through the power policy paradigm, acknowledging the fundamental value of a strong arsenal of defense and a strong arsenal of human rights defense tools that deserve serious questioning. Peace through the legacy of strength and success is independent, while the hub of successful policies needs to be reasonable. Furthermore, Congress has historically led human rights, which means that many of the programs managed by DRL are authorized and distributed by Congress. Congress must firmly ensure the continuation of these plans and work tirelessly to fund next year to at least mitigate some of the proposed damages.

Finally, the individual and the private sector must strengthen the filling of the gaps. Now, not next year, it’s time to generously support civil society organizations in need. Their persistence may depend on it.

I have confidence in the resilience of such a storm in civil society environments. But leaving so many groups in the United States without the funding and technical support from the United States is an incredible result. As Ronald Reagan aptly said, “Freedom will never be more than one generation away from extinction.” May not happen on our watches.