The U.S. was added to a watchlist of countries with “faltering civic freedoms” after a global watchdog group raised alarm bells over recent actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration.
CIVICUS, a nonprofit organization that serves as an advocate for democracy, added the U.S. to the list on Monday. It’s the first watchlist of the year.
Claiming the U.S. was “once a global champion for democracy and human rights,” CIVICUS said Trump’s attempts to remake the federal government in his vision and remove the U.S. from global participation have raised concerns that it is infringing on democratic freedoms.
The U.S. joins the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Chile, Slovakia and 37 other countries on the list of countries with “narrowed” civic freedoms.
“This is an unparalleled attack on the rule of law in the United States, not seen since the days of McCarthyism in the twentieth century,” Mandeep Tiwana, the interim co-secretary-general of CIVICUS, said in a release.
“Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal,” Tiwana added.
CIVICUS’s “narrowed” category means people in the country can exercise civil freedoms but there are occasional violations of those rights. It is the second-highest rating tier after “open.”
The organization pointed to Trump’s mass firing of federal workers and replacing civil servants with loyalists as actions that could “severely impact constitutional freedoms.”
Trump has carefully selected people who have proven deep loyalty to him to serve in powerful positions – regardless of experience or expertise.
Billionaire Elon Musk, a “special government employee” with no official title, has assisted Trump in drastically reducing the federal workforce as they seek to cut spending by flagging departments, agencies or policies they believe are wasteful, abusive or fraudulent.
As a result, it has essentially stripped the U.S. Agency for International Development of its authority to provide humanitarian aid and assistance, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of its ability to enforce regulations that protect consumers from fraud or unfair practices.
Through executive orders, Trump has sought to consolidate power in the executive branch, making it easier for him and his allies to monitor and control departments and agencies to ensure they are only carrying out Trump’s agenda.
That includes ceasing all diversity, equity and inclusion policies, cracking down on pro-Palestinian student protests and providing assistance to undocumented immigrants.
“The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances, which are the pillars of a democratic society,” Tiwana said in the press release.
Monday’s list is not the first time the U.S. has been downgraded on CIVICUS’s watchlist. The country’s status was downgraded to “obstructed” in 2020 after CIVICUS found the Trump administration repressed mass protests.
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