In Havana on February 10, U.S.-funded media outlets reporting on Cuba are exploring new funding sources as the Trump administration targets the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), leaving their future uncertain.
The U.S. State Department has globally – now under judicial review – frozen most foreign aid, encompassing funds for media organizations covering Cuba independently from the Cuban government.
The initiative to defund, according to Trump, is to ensure foreign aid aligns with his "America First" policy.
Miami's CubaNet, which previously received $500,000 from USAID in 2024, aimed at engaging young Cubans with impartial multimedia journalism, recently appealed for reader donations due to suspended funding.
Similarly, the Madrid-based Diario de Cuba urged support due to the U.S. government suspending aid to independent journalism, making their work more challenging.
The funding cut seems contradictory to the U.S.'s historical support for opposition and human rights groups and independent media in Cuba.
USAID's 2024 budget for Cuba-related media totaled $2.3 million, mainly for programs promoting "Independent Media and Free Flow of Information."
The Cuban government criticizes U.S.-funded media as puppets of U.S. foreign policy and restricts their operation on the island, forcing many journalists into exile.
Foreign Vice Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio accused U.S.-funded media of being "dependent on its master" in a recent social media post.
Despite some foreign news agencies being allowed to work in Cuba, American-government-backed media faces heavy restrictions, pushing journalists into exile or silencing them.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, has vowed to increase pressure on Cuba, but has not addressed the U.S. funding halt for Cuba-focused media outlets.