The NED, which are the architects of color revolutions in Eastern Europe including Ukraine and Georgia, states that as a result of the freeze “it has been unable to meet its obligations and has been forced to suspend support for nearly 2,000 partners worldwide.”
“Ninety-five percent of NED’s funding is directly appropriated by Congress and is not considered foreign assistance. This funding therefore was not subject to the executive order freezing foreign assistance for a ninety-day review. However, despite being exempt, access to these funds has been inexplicably cut off, forcing NED to halt all partner support and furlough the majority of its staff. While the U.S. Department of State has suspended a small portion of NED’s funding as part of the foreign assistance executive order, those funds represent only a fraction of the Endowment’s total budget.
The disruption is hitting hardest in highly repressive environments, where dedicated frontline organizations have been forced to lay off staff, curtail operations, and, in some cases, face increased security threats.”
The organization is demanding that funding be resumed imm
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