Trump Administration Channels Nearly $2 Billion of Aid to Christian NGOs
The State Department announced that almost $2 billion in humanitarian assistance will be awarded to faith-based groups, with World Vision, Compassion International and Samaritan's Purse receiving the largest shares.
The Trump administration's latest foreign-aid plan earmarks close to $2 billion for faith-based NGOs, marking the biggest such allocation in more than two decades, according to the State Department. World Vision will head a consortium eligible for up to $850 million, Compassion International will share a $238 million humanitarian pool, and Samaritan's Purse is set to receive $300 million across two years. The funding is part of a $1.4 billion America First Global Health Strategy that prioritises religious partners in countries like Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.
Opponents argue the approach may breach the Establishment Clause and question the claim that faith groups are more efficient than secular ones. The move follows previous USAID contracts to Samaritan's Purse, which has faced controversy over its stance on same-sex marriage and anti-Islam statements by its CEO, Rev. Franklin Graham. Legal scholars and the Freedom From Religion Foundation warn taxpayers are being asked to subsidise a religion-focused aid model.
Why it matters
U.S. taxpayers' money is being funneled to religious charities, sparking legal and policy debates about church-state separation.
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