From Aid Cuts to Resource Deals: Poor Nations Hire Trump‑Connected Lobbyists

With traditional US aid funnels drying up, a range of impoverished countries are turning to lobbyists with Trump connections. Figures like Brian Ballard and firms like BGR Government Affairs have signed multi-million-dollar contracts with states desperately seeking US attention.
Somalia paid $550,000 and Yemen $372,000 to secure lobbying firepower through BGR Govt Affairs. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo allocated $1.2 million to Ballard Partners to push a minerals-for-support agenda in Washington.
This shift reflects a broader scramble for critical minerals—especially lithium and cobalt—driven by US strategic interest in reducing reliance on China-dominated supply chains. Critics fear that poor countries might be forced into weighty concessions under financial duress.
Global Witness warns this new reality may distort traditional aid dynamics, propelling extractive bargains that benefit richer players at the cost of local populations.