WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement last week that the United States would cease all foreign assistance funds to the “Northern Triangle” countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras has left NGOs, implementers, government agencies, and the U.S. Congress scrambling to determine how much funding and what programs could be impacted by a sudden evaporation of money.
Trump, who has voiced frustrations with governments in Central America for not doing more to stop their populations from migrating, has also threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico because people keep attempting to cross. In a region marked by gang violence, climate change impacts, and lack of economic opportunity, Northern Triangle countries with historically weak institutions have struggled to create stable societies and reduce drivers of migration.
According to a U.S. Agency for International Development official, the agency is “carrying out the president’s direction to end foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle.” While Trump said last week he’s withholding $500 million, the official said that the president’s announcement impacts approximately $450 million of fiscal year 2018 allocations, and that the agency, along with the Department of State, have yet to determine the breadth of impact on fiscal year 2017 funds.