It’s an organization that openly uses your tax money to elect Democrats and suppress MAGA-centric Republicans. And 81 Republicans just voted against defunding it.
You read that right: Not 81 Democrats, 81 Republicans. That’s the number of GOPers who joined 210 Democrats to keep the National Endowment for Democracy sucking on the government teat.
The vote, which happened Wednesday, regarded an amendment offered by Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona to pull funding for the non-governmental organization.
“Tonight, the Uniparty rejected my amendment to defund NED. 81 ‘republicans’ voted with democrats to fund this rogue organization that fuels global censorship and domestic propaganda,” Crane wrote on X.
Tonight, the Uniparty rejected my amendment to defund NED.
81 ‘republicans’ voted with democrats to fund this rogue organization that fuels global censorship and domestic propaganda.
To see how your representative voted, visit: https://t.co/yXw10mNBiO pic.twitter.com/Vv9CABqpoV
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) January 14, 2026
To say that NED is a partisan organization is a bit like saying Napoleon was a leader who had issues with border incursions: true, and a massive understatement. For instance, they’re one of the leading groups trying to pull ad money from organizations they consider “disinformation.”
And swamp republicans teamed up with democrats to give them $315 million more of YOUR dollars this week.
Disgusting. https://t.co/TK3jwJwj3S
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) January 16, 2026
And what do they consider “disinformation?”
X pundit DataRepublican — a programmer who helped expose just how much rot there was in USAID — did a deep dive on it, starting with “perhaps the most credentialed expert with NED,” Rachel Kleinfeld.
If you don’t believe me – let’s go to Rachel Kleinfeld. She is perhaps the most credentialed expert with NED:
・Trustee of the National Endowment for Democracy
・Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
・Trustee of Freedom House
・Served on the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/0JIAWMkjSV— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
In 2022, Kleinfeld authored a paper entitled “Five Strategies to Support U.S. Democracy.” One of them wasn’t to get Democrats elected. Not that she thought that was a bad goal for NED or other NGOs, mind you: She thought it wasn’t enough.
In her view, it’s not enough to just increase turnout and help Democrats win.
(That a NED scholar lists “electing Democrats” as an implicit tactic to preserve democracy should signal to any Republican how unserious they are being when they support NED.) pic.twitter.com/I1JwzzD1Ib
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
Instead, what we really needed was controlled opposition, which she called “responsible conservatives.”
“A democracy cannot exist with illiberal, antidemocratic politicians in charge,” she wrote, saying that Republicans who voted against certifying the Electoral College vote in 2020 without further investigation were “an angry minority of voters” that, because of the two-party system, represent “an existential challenge to democracy itself.”
That’s right: If the Democrats can’t pick their opposition, democracy loses. See the logic there? You probably don’t unless you realize the authoritarian impulse that language is attempting to put a fig leaf over:
This is why I keep saying that the primaries will be where the elections happen from now on.
They are investing massive amounts of money and candidates into overwhelming every primary at every ballot in every state.
The R/D labels will not matter.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
She also says that the left needs to “reduce social demand for the right for illiberal policies” on stuff like DEI and establishmentarianism through some vague sort of way that goes about “addressing these social forces.” (This, in the intervening years, seems to have taken the form of the left telling non-favored identity groups “you’ve never had it to so good, so shush and let us diminish you.”)
Also, she cited the need to “engage the left in defending democracy by making it deliver.” Translation: socialism with a smiley face.
Third tactic: Engage the left by making democracy deliver for them.
In other words, give the Left all the socialist freebies they’ve been clamoring for and maybe they’ll fight for NED.
All sticks for conservatives, all carrots for Communists. pic.twitter.com/lN6hwa5AGD
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
It gets no better, particularly when she said that her strategy “requires sticks as well as carrots” and “there are red lines that must be upheld for democracy to work.”
Fifth tactic – Strengthen accountability to reset norms. This means increased fines, increased lawfare, suppression of speech, and everything to make sure conservatives cannot rise up. pic.twitter.com/wmq8QGfPs5
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
“Kleinfeld is NED. This is what NED believes,” DataRepublican concluded. “I cannot emphasize enough what a stupid, foolish, idiotic thing it is for Republicans to support NED. They are either mentally retarded or secretly Democrats.”
Kleinfeld is NED. This is what NED believes.
I cannot emphasize enough what a stupid, foolish, idiotic thing it is for Republicans to support NED. They are either mentally retarded or secretly Democrats.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) January 14, 2026
And this wasn’t just the usual suspects voting to retain funding for NED, although they were there. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York voted no on the amendment. So did Kentucky Rep. Andy Barr, who’s running to replace Mitch McConnell once he retires in 2026. These are people who are supposed to be the leaders of the party — and instead, they’re voting to spend money on an organization that wants to defeat them and defund those who express their opinions.
Crane, for his part, promises not to give up the fight.
This week’s votes in Congress teach an important lesson.
For decades, the swamp has gotten away with passing garbage because they know folks won’t notice.
Well those days should be over. Pay attention. Ask tough questions.
A handful of us will keep fighting to expose it.
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) January 16, 2026
“This week’s votes in Congress teach an important lesson. For decades, the swamp has gotten away with passing garbage because they know folks won’t notice,” he wrote.
“Well those days should be over. Pay attention. Ask tough questions. A handful of us will keep fighting to expose it.”
More than a handful, one hopes, once they know the facts.
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