The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spends billions every year delivering assistance to various countries around the world, sometimes for the purpose of promoting social causes abroad. USAID told Congress in August it planned to spend $1.5 million in Latin America and the Caribbean on various LGBTQ causes, including raising awareness of LGBTQ individuals and promoting coordination of various organizations that protect the minority group, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told the DCNF, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the subject.

A congressional committee issued a freeze on the $1.5 million funding package, the source told the DCNF. But USAID is choosing to ignore the hold and move forward with the initiative; an incredibly rare and nearly unprecedented move, as holds are typically honored.

USAID plans to use the $1.5 million for more than supporting LGBTQ individuals; it includes funding for litigation against different Latin American and Caribbean countries if they supposedly discriminate against LGBTQ individuals, the DCNF has learned. Some of these nations have the highest percentages of Catholics or Christians in the world, according to World Population Review.

The funding will also promote coordination between LBGTQ organizations and other minority groups, such as organizations representing African descendants, indigenous groups and migrant-focused organizations, the DCNF has learned. Funding is also included for the creation or dissemination of materials for journalists to promote anti-violence against LGBTQ people in the region.

Though the $1.5 million was allocated in a 2023 Development Fund (DF), it isn’t clear how much of the funding has been spent to date. It’s part of a larger $6.5 million package for LGBTQ initiatives across the globe, including in the Middle East and Africa regions, the source told the DCNF.

The congressional hold only applied to the $1.5 million portion of the package, but USAID ignored it and moved forward with the spending plan, the source said.

USAID has a $45 billion dollar budget for fiscal year 2024, and in addition to putting that to use in aid or assistance delivery operations, the Biden-Harris administration also uses the budget to promote seemingly left-wing causes across the world, such as in the case of LGBTQ initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Some of USAID’s activities have been criticized by lawmakers as a waste of money or politically charged.

In other cases, USAID funding isn’t properly tracked and risks ending up with American adversaries, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan or Hamas in Gaza.

Featured Image: Flickr/Official White House Photo by Erin Scott

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Israel targeted Nasrallah in a significant airstrike against his bunker on Friday, marking the latest blow to an increasingly weakening Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel since last year. Khamenei had reportedly warned Nasrallah that Israel was going to try to kill him and urged him to flee Lebanon in the days prior to his assassination, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Iran had already been concerned for years that Mossad, an Israeli intelligence agency, had infiltrated Tehran’s ranks, the outlet reported. Following Nasrallah’s death, that concern has grown larger — and Iranian officials have become worried about Khamenei’s safety, officials and sources close to the matter told Reuters.

“The trust that held everything together has disappeared,” an Iranian official told Reuters.

“[Khamenei] no longer trusts anyone,” another source close to the Iranian regime told Reuters.

Authorities have opened investigations to see whether some Iranian officials or members of Iran’s military are compromised, another Iranian official told Reuters. The investigations are particularly centered around officials who travel or have family outside the country.

Authorities are reportedly suspicious of Iranian military members who have recently been in Lebanon, one of the officials told Reuters. One of the military members had recently been asking about Nasrallah’s location, raising eyebrows among other officials. That individual was arrested, along with several others, the official told Reuters.

Khamenei’s warning to Nasrallah — which was made through an Iranian military messenger who was with Nasrallah at the time of his death — followed a sweeping, targeted attack by Israel against Hezbollah, the official told Reuters. Thousands of Hezbollah operatives’ pagers and walkie-talkies randomly exploded in late September, which was likely an orchestrated remote detonation by Israel, although the country hasn’t claimed responsibility.

But Nasrallah — who often operated in bunkers underground in Lebanon — felt at the time that he was safe and trusted his security officials to protect him, even as Iranian officials relayed their concerns about his wellbeing, the official told Reuters. Khamenei made a second offer via his military messenger for Nasrallah to relocate to Iran, but Nasrallah expressed that he wanted to stay in Lebanon.

Following Nasrallah’s assassination and the devastating blows Hezbollah has recently suffered, the security situation with the terrorist group is now so fraught that they can’t even hold a public funeral for Nasrallah, according to four sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.

“No one can authorize a funeral in these circumstances,” one Hezbollah source bemoaned to Reuters.

Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran following a sweeping missile attack launched by Tehran on Tuesday, which largely failed due to interceptions from Israeli and U.S. forces. Though the timing and nature of a retaliatory strike isn’t clear, Israel has promised that there will be “consequences” for Iran.

“Iran made a big mistake – and it will pay for it,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.