State Department Briefing, July 31, 2025: Brazil Sanctions, Korea Deal, Food Aid

Name: "State Department Briefing, July 31, 2025: Brazil Sanctions, Korea Deal, Food Aid"
Uploaded: 2025-07-31
Duration: 33 min 44 s
Description: "Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott announced sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, a completed U.S.-Korea trade deal, visa sanctions on PLO and Palestinian Authority officials, and $52 million in food assistance, according to the State Department briefing."

July 31, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:33:44

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott opened the July 31 briefing by announcing that Secretary Rubio had announced U.S. sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom Pigott said used his position to authorize arbitrary pre-trial detentions and undermine freedom of expression, including through secret orders compelling online platforms — including U.S. social media companies — to ban individuals for protected speech. He quoted the Secretary’s warning that judicial robes cannot protect those trampling fundamental rights.

Pigott said the White House had announced a full and complete trade deal with the Republic of Korea, reached as the Secretary met that day with ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, and described the U.S.-ROK alliance as the linchpin of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific for more than 70 years. He also reported that the department had informed Congress that the PLO and Palestinian Authority are not in compliance with their commitments under U.S. law, and that the United States was imposing sanctions denying visas to PLO members and PA officials.

On humanitarian assistance, Pigott announced $52 million to the World Food Program to deliver emergency food assistance from American farmers and producers to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Djibouti — 12,702 metric tons of food from prepositioning warehouses in Houston and Djibouti, supporting 1.9 million vulnerable people.

Why it matters

The briefing bundles several administration foreign-policy actions in one day: free-expression sanctions against a foreign judge, a concluded Korea trade deal, accountability measures on the Palestinian leadership, and a major food-aid award.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Department of State Press Briefing - July 31, 2025”, 2025-07-31 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-07-31). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.