Revealed: Trump-linked firms cash in on mineral lobbying deals as US cuts aid

A Global Witness investigation reveals that 17 of the world's least developed countries and largest US aid recipients have signed lobbying contracts worth over $21 million since November 2024. The report highlights a trend where nations facing humanitarian crises and aid freezes—such as Pakistan, the DRC, and Somalia—are bartering preferential access to critical minerals, oil, gas, and strategic ports for US political or military assistance. Many of these deals involve firms and individuals closely linked to Donald Trump's inner circle, creating a transactional 'America First' dynamic that Global Witness argues risks resource exploitation in fragile, conflict-affected states.

• Since the US election in November 2024, 17 of the world's Least Developed Countries and largest US aid recipients have signed lobbying contracts with US firms totaling more than $21 million in fees due by the end of 2025. Of these, firms with ties to Donald Trump and his inner circle have negotiated contracts worth over $17 million in fees due in 2025.
• Low-income nations are increasingly using 'transactional' deals, offering US preferential rights to natural resources in exchange for aid or security. This is exemplified by a deal signed in April with Ukraine for mineral and oil and gas reserves, and similar negotiations by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for a 'minerals-for-security' arrangement.
• Pakistan has engaged Trump-linked lobbyists, including Keith Schiller, George Sorial, and Robert Seiden, to promote the exploration and sale of rare earth and critical minerals estimated to be worth $8 trillion. These efforts coincide with a US aid freeze that has suspended approximately $845 million in aid projects for the country.
• The DRC, previously the largest global recipient of US humanitarian aid ($910 million last year), has hired firms like Ballard Partners and Earhart Turner to advance economic growth and human rights issues in East Congo following a US foreign aid freeze of over $60 billion.
• Other strategic assets are being leveraged for US influence: Somalia has offered Washington 'exclusive operational control' over two strategic ports and airbases, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has used lobbyists to promote investment and the reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline.
• In Southern Africa, Angola has paid over $28 million since 2019 to Squire Patton Boggs to secure trade and military support, emphasizing the Lobito Corridor as vital for accessing minerals in the DRC to counter China's dominance.

APA

Global Witness (2025). Revealed: Trump-linked firms cash in on mineral lobbying deals as US cuts aid. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/revealed-trump-linked-firms-cash-in-on-mineral-lobbying-deals-as-us-cuts-aid/

Chicago

Global Witness. Revealed: Trump-linked firms cash in on mineral lobbying deals as US cuts aid. 2025. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/revealed-trump-linked-firms-cash-in-on-mineral-lobbying-deals-as-us-cuts-aid/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Revealed: Trump-linked firms cash in on mineral lobbying deals as US cuts aid |date=6 August 2025 |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/revealed-trump-linked-firms-cash-in-on-mineral-lobbying-deals-as-us-cuts-aid/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2025revealed, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Revealed: Trump-linked firms cash in on mineral lobbying deals as US cuts aid}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/transition-minerals/revealed-trump-linked-firms-cash-in-on-mineral-lobbying-deals-as-us-cuts-aid/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }