Some Democrats said the move “will only result in more children and families being forced to make the dangerous journey north to the U.S.-Mexico border.”
The Trump administration said Saturday that it intends to end foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a move that Democrats called “reckless” and “counterproductive” in addressing the problems that cause people to flee to the U.S.
A State Department spokesperson said that “at the Secretary’s instruction, we are carrying out the President’s direction and ending FY 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle,” a term that refers to the three countries.
The spokesperson said “we will be engaging Congress as part of this process,” which could mean it needs Congress’ approval to end funding.
The aid affects nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the previous fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but had not been spent yet, the Washington Post reported.
A senior Democratic aide involved in the discussions said they consider the cuts outside the law and unconstitutional and that they would need Congressional approval Read more.
Read more:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-cut-foreign-aid-el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-1.5078495
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/30/politics/state-department-aid-el-slavador-guatemala-honduras/index.html