Civicus, and a coalition of global civil society organizations has downgraded the United States’ civic health rating from “narrowed” to “obstructed”. Our nation was formed as a vehicle for bestowing freedoms – of speech, of the press, of peaceful assembly, and more. The downgrading is a response to government actions as recent as “since July, 2025.”
How does that affect each of us, personally? As my personal interest is in improving the sustainability of our lifestyle, suspension of environmental regulations and discontinuance of federal programs aimed at supporting things such as clean wind and solar energy, emission-free electric cars has our country moving in the exact opposite direction as most nations are taking and as we all need to live in order to enjoy healthy lives.
When Social Security was enacted in 1935, only one half of one percent of the population lived to 65, the year at which benefits kick in. Now, medical technology has enabled so-called first-world countries to enjoy increasingly longer life spans. However, lifespans in the U.S. are now inching backwards!
Sustainable Living benefits apply to health as well as to our quality-of-life experience. Our literacy levels are dropping. Our education and health care systems are falling increasingly behind that of other nations. The question: What can we do as individuals to reverse the trend? Comments afterwards.
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US civic health rating downgraded after
year of ‘restrictive‘ Trump actions
Civicus, a non-profit that monitors global civic freedoms,
moved the US from the ‘narrowed’ to ‘obstructed’ category
The Guardian
Tue 9 Dec 2025
A coalition of global civil society organizations has downgraded the United States’ civic health rating from “narrowed” to “obstructed”.
In a report released on Tuesday, Civicus, a non-profit that monitors civic freedoms in 198 countries, placed the US in its “obstructed” category. The group cited a “sharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country … following a year of sweeping executive actions, restrictive laws and aggressive crackdowns on free speech and dissent.”
The shift comes just months after Civicus’s July assessment, which rated the US as “narrowed” – one step above “obstructed”. Civicus assigns each country a score based on civic space conditions, using five classifications: “open”, “narrowed”, “obstructed”, “repressed” and “closed”.
According to the group, an “obstructed” ranking applies to countries where civic space is heavily contested. Civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements. The rating description said …
“Citizens can organise and assemble
peacefully but they are vulnerable to
frequent use of excessive force by law
enforcement agencies, including rubber
bullets, tear gas and baton charges.”
It added in regards to media:
“There is some space for non-state
media and editorial independence,
but journalists face the risk of
physical attack and criminal
defamation charges, which
encourage self-censorship.”
The report cited militarized crackdowns on protests in the US, pointing to Donald Trump’s deployment of the national guard to Los Angeles and other cities, as well as the widespread use of ICE agents across gatherings and immigrant communities.
It further highlighted escalating restrictions on free speech across college campuses, particularly around Palestinian solidarity activism. The report stated …
“Universities have suspended student groups and
opened investigations under broad and vague
accusations of ‘material support for terrorism.’
“Foreign-born students and faculty have been
disproportionately targeted, facing discipline-
ary actions, visa threats, and professional
retaliation for supporting Palestinian rights.”
Civicus moreover warned that media freedoms were under mounting pressure nationwide, citing the Federal Communications Commission’s threats to revoke broadcast licenses and Trump’s lawsuits against various media companies.
It also pointed to Trump’s revocation of funding for public broadcasters including NPR and PBS, as well as the new White House Wire, an administration-run news website that promotes positive news about itself. Civicus said …
“These actions, combined with efforts to
sideline critical outlets from core govern-
ment functions and foreign travel, reflect
a systematic attempt to dominate the media
landscape and silence independent journalism.”
Speaking about the latest classification, Mandeep Tiwana, Civicus’s secretary general, said:
“The backsliding on rule of law and funda-
mental freedoms in the United States is
truly alarming. We are witnessing a rapid
and systematic attempt to stifle civic
freedoms that Americans have come
to take for granted, such as critiquing
authorities and protesting peacefully.”
He continued:
“As the USA prepares to mark 250 years
since the American Revolution, we urge the
government to course-correct and uphold
the civic freedoms enshrined in the Declara-
tion of Independence and the constitution.”
With its new classification, the US now joins 39 other countries rated “obstructed” this year, including Hungary, Brazil and South Africa.
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My own personal efforts have been to create a net zero sustainable community – and share the lessons learned from actual experience, write three inexpensive books to help others live more sustainably, to send out a free weekly blog with research reports about things being done globally that we can do individually, research ways to adjust our lifestyles more comfortably, and share lessons I’m learning as I continue to experiment with different aspects of Sustainable Living.
If I were wealthy, leading a large corporate development company, I’d probably want to build thousands of sustainable homes, as we may learn better from experience, and so I could create a new “normal.” As I’m not wealthy, I’m leaning toward providing the best, most research-proven information via social media and books. Adding D’s comments …
“America has never been an easy in which country to live. Its pendulum can swing widely depending upon which state you live in and the federal government, be it who is the President, who is in Congress, or who is running specific agencies.
“What we do know is that each person needs to define what is most important for themself. And living those values to their fullest can only help each individual and the people with whom they interreact. The hope for any change starts with one person stating ‘This issue is important to me.’ And with hope and passion, their message spreads.
“In this new year, may each of you find something that is important to you, and spread your word to help make America stronger.
