US redirected $52 million in aid from European allies to Latin America
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has redirected $52 million that Congress had previously approved for aid to Ukraine and NATO allies. It was decided to allocate the funds to programs in Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
According to Censor.NET, The Washington Post reports this.
The State Department notified Congress of its plans to reallocate funds in September. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Congressman Gregory Meeks opposed this decision and blocked the reallocation process.
However, in late September, the administration informed lawmakers that it would continue to implement the plan despite the ban. According to The Washington Post, the funds in question were allocated by Congress back in 2022.
Part of the money was related to aid for Ukraine
Lawmakers were particularly upset by the decision to withdraw the funds earmarked for Slovakia and North Macedonia. These programs were part of the aid package approved after Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine.
One of the goals of the funding was, in particular, to encourage European countries to supply Ukraine with weapons and to gradually replace Russian military equipment with American equipment.
Trump's camp attributed the decision to a shift in foreign policy priorities
The State Department told *The Washington Post* that the reallocation of funds is in line with the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities, which are placing greater emphasis on the Western Hemisphere.
The U.S. administration believes that using these funds in Latin American countries is more effective within the framework of Washington’s current priorities. At the same time, lawmakers who opposed the decision question whether such a reallocation is consistent with the funds’ original purpose.
