[palmfacehn]

Bill Kristol, a right wing neo-conservative and ideological heir to Buckley, also had his funds publicly cut. Similarly, there are allegations against Liz Cheney. These are two examples that immediately spring to mind.

Attributing it to a purely right-left battle misses the larger picture. There are entrenched bureaucrats which have successfully moderated and turned away reforms. Some of these creatures of "the swamp" receive self-perpetuating funds from USAID.

The culture war stuff is largely a distraction. When USAID funds a trans musical, it isn't about the musical. There may be elements promoting the trans ideology, but this is tertiary. The real meat is building influence coalitions, protest groups and outright payment of graft. These favors can be called in later to advance the policy of the "swamp creatures". This could be trade deals or any agreement in which this opaque coalition has an interest.