The Trump administration is stripping tens of millions of dollars in US military assistance from countries in Europe and the Middle East to support conservative-leaning governments in Central and South America.
The State Department on Tuesday notified Congress that it will reprogram $52 million in foreign military financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Earlier reporting noted: The state department notified Congress on Tuesday that foreign military financing earmarked for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq would be redirected for Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged to them additional support as the Trump administration has prioritized the Western Hemisphere in its foreign policy with an emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration. It is just the latest in a series of moves that have reduced either money or troop deployments to Europe in response to President Donald Trump’s complaints about NATO allies not spending enough on their defense budgets and other matters. Both North Macedonia and Slovakia are NATO members. But it also comes as the administration has put particular attention on the Western Hemisphere, aligning deeply with right-wing governments as Trump celebrates a renewal of the 19th century Monroe Doctrine establishing Washington’s dominance in the Americas.
Earlier reporting noted: US redirects $52 million military aid from Europe, Middle East to conversative Latin American nations Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Batallon Paraiso military complex in Barranquilla, Colombia (Photo: Reuters) Earlier reporting noted: The Trump administration is redirecting $52 million in US military assistance from four countries in Europe and the Middle East to governments in Central and South America, as Washington steps up its focus on the Western hemisphere.
The State Department said the funds would be used to “combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal,” adding that the Western Hemisphere has been historically neglected in US military assistance. The State Department said, though, that the current distribution of financing does “not align with the administration’s prioritization of” the Western Hemisphere.
