U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and

the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Updated January 11, 2021

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R46514

SUMMARY

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and

the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

The United States provides foreign assistance to Latin American and Caribbean countries to

support development and other U.S. objectives. U.S. policymakers have emphasized different

strategic interests in the region at different times, from combating Soviet influence during the

Cold War to promoting democracy and open markets, as well as countering illicit narcotics, since

the 1990s. The Trump Administration sought to reduce foreign aid significantly and refocus U.S.

assistance efforts in some parts of the region to address U.S. domestic concerns, such as irregular

migration. For the most part, however, Congress did not adopt the Administration’s proposals.

R46514

January 11, 2021

Peter J. Meyer

Specialist in Latin

American and Canadian

Affairs

Rachel L. Martin

Research Assistant

FY2021 Budget Request

For FY2021, the Trump Administration requested $1.4 billion for Latin America and the

Caribbean through foreign assistance accounts managed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID). That amount would have been $314 million, or 18%, less than the estimated $1.7 billion of U.S.

assistance allocated to the region in FY2020. The proposal would have cut funding for every type of assistance and for most

Latin American and Caribbean countries. For a fourth consecutive year, the Trump Administration also proposed eliminating

the Inter-American Foundation—a small, independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that promotes grassroots development

in the region—and consolidating its programs into USAID.

Legislative Developments

Similar to prior years, Congress did not conclude action on appropriations for FY2021 until several months into the fiscal

year. Although the House passed a foreign aid appropriations measure (Division A of H.R. 7608; H.Rept. 116-444) in July

2020 and the Senate Appropriations Committee released a draft bill in November 2020, neither was enacted. Instead,

Congress passed a series of continuing resolutions that funded foreign aid programs in the region at the FY2020 level from

October 1, 2020, until December 27, 2020, when President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021

(P.L. 116-260). The act and the accompanying explanatory statement do not specify appropriations levels for every Latin

American and Caribbean country, but the amounts they designate for several U.S. initiatives differ significantly from the

Administration’s request. Among other appropriations, the act provides



$505.9 million to address the underlying factors driving irregular migration from Central America ($129

million more than the Administration requested but $27 million less than allocated to the region in

FY2020);



$461.4 million to support the peace process and security and development efforts in Colombia ($48.5

million more than requested and nearly $10 million more than allocated to the country in FY2020);



$158.9 million to support security and rule-of-law efforts in Mexico ($95 million more than requested and

$1 million more than allocated to the country in FY2020);



$33 million to support a democratic transition in Venezuela ($172 million less than requested and $2

million less than allocated to the country in FY2020); and



$38 million for the Inter-American Foundation ($34 million more than requested and $500,000 more than

Congress appropriated for the agency in FY2020).

Congress considered a variety of policy issues during the FY2021 appropriations process, including how to respond to the

effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Latin America and the Caribbean and whether to provide

additional assistance to the region beyond the $141 million allocated as of August 2020. In response to the Trump

Administration’s decision to suspend and reprogram U.S. assistance to Central America, Congress reexamined some of the

authorities it has granted to the executive branch. Congress also tracked the new U.S. International Development Finance

Corporation’s operations in Latin America and the Caribbean and assessed how they complement foreign assistance in

promoting development and other U.S. foreign policy objectives in the region. Many of these policy issues may remain

subjects of debate, legislation, and oversight in the 117 th Congress.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Trends in U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean ...................................................... 3

Trump Administration’s FY2021 Foreign Assistance Budget Request ........................................... 4

Foreign Assistance Categories and Accounts ............................................................................ 5

Major Country and Regional Programs .................................................................................... 7

Inter-American Foundation ..................................................................................................... 10

Legislative Developments ............................................................................................................. 10

Policy Issues for Congress............................................................................................................. 12

COVID-19 Response .............................................................................................................. 13

Central America Funding Directives ....................................................................................... 16

Role of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation ......................................... 18

Figures

Figure 1. Map of Latin America and the Caribbean ........................................................................ 2

Figure 2. U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY1946-FY2019 ......................... 3

Tables

Table 1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account:

FY2016-FY2021 Request ............................................................................................................ 6

Table 2. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Country or

Regional Program: FY2016-FY2021 Request ............................................................................. 8

Table 3. Inter-American Foundation (IAF) Appropriations: FY2016-FY2021 Request ............... 10

Table 4. U.S. Foreign Assistance for Selected Countries and Initiatives:

FY2021 Appropriations Legislation ............................................................................................ 11

Table 5. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean to Respond to the

COVID-19 Pandemic ................................................................................................................. 14

Table A-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2019 ...................... 21

Table B-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2020

Estimate ...................................................................................................................................... 23

Table C-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Request ........ 25

Appendixes

Appendix A. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account

and Country or Regional Program: FY2019 .............................................................................. 21

Appendix B. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account

and Country or Regional Program: FY2020 Estimate ............................................................... 23

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Appendix C. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account

and Country or Regional Program: FY2021 Request................................................................. 25

Contacts

Author Information........................................................................................................................ 27

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Introduction

Foreign assistance is one of the tools the United States employs to advance U.S. interests in Latin

America and the Caribbean. The focus and funding levels of aid programs change along with

broader U.S. policy goals.1 Current aid programs reflect the diverse needs of the countries in the

region, as well as the broad range of these countries’ ties to the United States (see Figure 1 for a

map of Latin America and the Caribbean). Some countries receive U.S. assistance across many

sectors as they struggle with political, socioeconomic, and security challenges. Others have made

major strides in consolidating democratic governance and improving living conditions; these

countries no longer receive traditional U.S. development assistance but typically receive some

U.S. support to address shared security challenges, such as transnational crime.

Congress authorizes and appropriates funds for foreign assistance to the region and conducts

oversight of aid programs and the executive branch agencies that administer them. The Trump

Administration proposed significant reductions to the foreign assistance budget to decrease

government expenditures and shift resources to other Administration priorities. The

Administration also sought to modify some U.S. foreign assistance objectives, including those in

Latin America and the Caribbean. For the most part, however, Congress did not adopt the

Administration’s proposed changes.

This report provides an overview of U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean. It

examines historical and recent trends in aid to the region; the Trump Administration’s FY2021

budget request for aid administered by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International

Development (USAID), and the Inter-American Foundation (IAF); and FY2021 foreign aid

appropriations legislation. It also analyzes several issues that Congress considered when

deliberating on FY2021 appropriations, including how to respond to the Coronavirus Disease

2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, whether to exert greater congressional control over U.S. assistance

to Central America, and how the new U.S. International Development Finance Corporation might

complement U.S. assistance efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Report Notes

To more accurately compare the Trump Administration’s FY2021 foreign assistance request with previous years’

appropriations, most aid figures in this report refer only to bilateral assistance that is managed by the State

Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and is requested for individual countries

or regional programs. Approximately 63% of the aid obligated by all U.S. agencies in Latin America and the

Caribbean in FY2019 was provided through the foreign assistance accounts examined in this report.

Several other sources of U.S. assistance to the region exist. Some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

receive U.S. assistance to address humanitarian needs through USAID- and State Department-managed foreign

assistance accounts, such as Food for Peace Act Title II, International Disaster Assistance, and Migration and

Refugee Assistance. Likewise, some countries receive assistance from other U.S. agencies, such as the Department

of Defense, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Peace Corps. Moreover, multilateral organizations that the

United States supports financially, such as the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development

Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization, provide additional aid to the region. Except where indicated,

those accounts, agencies, and organizations are excluded from this analysis, because they do not request assistance

for individual countries and because country-level funding figures are not publicly available until after the fiscal year

has passed.

Source: USAID, Foreign Aid Explorer: The Official Record of U.S. Foreign Aid, at https://explorer.usaid.gov/data.html.

1 For more information on U.S. policy in the region, see CRS Report R46258, Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S.

Policy and Issues in the 116th Congress, coordinated by Mark P. Sullivan.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Figure 1. Map of Latin America and the Caribbean

Source: Map Resources, edited by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Trends in U.S. Assistance to Latin America and

the Caribbean

The United States has long been a major contributor of foreign assistance to countries in Latin

America and the Caribbean. Between 1946 and 2019, the United States provided nearly $94

billion ($195 billion in constant 2017 dollars) of assistance to the region.2 U.S. assistance to the

region spiked in the early 1960s, following the introduction of President John F. Kennedy’s

Alliance for Progress, an anti-poverty initiative that sought to counter Soviet and Cuban influence

in the aftermath of Fidel Castro’s 1959 seizure of power in Cuba. After a period of decline, U.S.

assistance to the region increased again following the 1979 assumption of power by the leftist

Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Throughout the 1980s, the United States provided considerable support

to Central American governments battling leftist insurgencies to prevent potential Soviet allies

from establishing political or military footholds in the region. U.S. aid flows declined in the mid1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Central American civil

conflicts (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY1946-FY2019

Source: CRS presentation of data from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Aid

Explorer: The Official Record of U.S. Foreign Aid, at https://explorer.usaid.gov/data.html.

Notes: Includes aid obligations from all U.S. government agencies. Data for FY2020 are not yet available.

U.S. foreign assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean began to increase again in the late

1990s and remained on a generally upward trajectory through 2010. The higher levels of

2 These figures include aid obligations from all U.S. government agencies to the 33 independent Latin American and

Caribbean countries (identified in Figure 1) and regional programs. U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID), Foreign Aid Explorer: The Official Record of U.S. Foreign Aid, accessed December 2020, at

https://explorer.usaid.gov/data.html.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

assistance were partially the result of increased spending on humanitarian and development

assistance. In the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the United States provided extensive

humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to several countries in Central America. The

establishment of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2003 and the Millennium

Challenge Corporation in 2004 also provided many countries in the region with new sources of

U.S. assistance.3 In addition, the United States provided significant assistance to Haiti in the

aftermath of a massive earthquake in 2010.

Increased funding for counter-narcotics and security programs also contributed to the rise in U.S.

assistance. Beginning with President Bill Clinton and the 106th Congress in FY2000, successive

Administrations and Congresses provided significant amounts of foreign aid to Colombia and its

Andean neighbors to combat drug trafficking and end Colombia’s long-running internal armed

conflict. Spending received another boost in FY2008, when President George W. Bush joined

with his Mexican counterpart to announce the Mérida Initiative, a package of U.S. counter-drug

and anti-crime assistance for Mexico and Central America. In FY2010, Congress and the Obama

Administration split the Central American portion of the Mérida Initiative into a separate Central

America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) and created a similar program for the countries of

the Caribbean known as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).

U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean began to decline again in FY2011. Although

the decline was partially due to reductions in the overall U.S. foreign assistance budget in the

aftermath of a U.S. recession, it also reflected changes in the region. Due to stronger economic

growth and more effective social policies, the percentage of people living in poverty in Latin

America fell from 45% in 2002 to an estimated 30% in 2019.4 Some countries, such as Argentina,

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay, were able to provide assistance to others in the

region. Other countries, such as Bolivia and Ecuador, expelled U.S. personnel and opposed U.S.

assistance projects, leading to the closure of USAID field missions.5 Collectively, these changes

resulted in the U.S. government concentrating foreign assistance resources for Latin America and

the Caribbean in fewer countries and sectors.

Trump Administration’s FY2021 Foreign

Assistance Budget Request6

The Trump Administration requested $1.4 billion for Latin America and the Caribbean through

foreign assistance accounts managed by the State Department and USAID in FY2021. That

amount would have been $314 million, or 18%, less than the estimated $1.7 billion of assistance

allocated for the region in FY2020 (see Table 1). The Administration also proposed eliminating

the IAF—a small, independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that promotes grassroots

development in Latin America and the Caribbean—and consolidating its programs into USAID.

3 For more information on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Millennium Challenge Corporation,

see CRS In Focus IF10797, PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act: Expiring Authorities, by Tiaji Salaam-Blyther;

and CRS Report RL32427, Millennium Challenge Corporation: Overview and Issues, by Nick M. Brown.

4 U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Social Challenge in Times of COVID-19, May 12,

2020, p. 2.

5 USAID is reestablishing a field mission in Ecuador, but the process has been delayed by the Coronavirus Disease

2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

6 Unless otherwise noted, data and information in this section are drawn from U.S. Department of State, Congressional

Budget Justification for Foreign Operations, Appendix 2, Fiscal Year 2021, February 20, 2020, at

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FY21-CBJ-Appendix-2-FINAL-2.pdf.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

The Administration’s proposed reductions for foreign assistance to the region were slightly lower

than the nearly 26% cut proposed for foreign operations globally.7 Although comprehensive

allocations are not yet available, it appears as though Congress opted not adopt most of the

Administration’s proposed cuts (see “Legislative Developments,” below).

Foreign Assistance Categories and Accounts8

The Administration’s proposed FY2021 foreign aid budget for Latin America and the Caribbean

requested $760.9 million (54% of the total) through a new Economic Support and Development

Fund (ESDF). As proposed, the ESDF foreign assistance account would have consolidated aid

that currently is provided through the Development Assistance (DA) and Economic Support Fund

(ESF) accounts to support democracy, the rule of law, economic reform, education, agriculture,

and natural resource management.9 Whereas administrations often have used the DA account for

long-term projects to foster broad-based economic progress and social stability in developing

countries, the ESDF account, like the ESF account, would have focused more on countries and

programs deemed critical to short-term U.S. security and strategic objectives. The FY2021

request included $74.5 million (9%) less funding for the ESDF account than was allocated to the

region through the DA and ESF accounts combined in FY2020.

Another $132.8 million (9%) of the Administration’s FY2021 request for the region would have

been provided through two Global Health Programs (GHP) accounts. This amount included $96.8

million requested through the State Department GHP account for HIV/AIDS programs and $36

million requested through the USAID GHP account to combat malaria and support maternal and

child health, nutrition, and family planning programs. Under the FY2021 request for the region,

funding for the State Department GHP account would have declined by $60.9 million (39%) and

funding for the USAID GHP account would have declined by $17.3 million (32%) compared with

the FY2020 estimate.

The remaining $508.5 million (36%) of the Administration’s FY2021 request for Latin America

and the Caribbean would have supported security assistance programs, including the following:



$452.9 million requested through the International Narcotics Control and Law

Enforcement (INCLE) account for counter-narcotics, civilian law enforcement

efforts, and projects intended to strengthen judicial institutions. INCLE funding

for the region would have declined by $102.3 million (18%) compared with the

FY2020 estimate.

$24 million requested through the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining,

and Related Programs (NADR) account to help countries in the region carry out

humanitarian demining programs, strengthen conventional weapons stockpile

management, develop strategic trade controls and border security measures, and

7 For more information on the global foreign aid budget, see CRS Report R46367, Department of State, Foreign

Operations, and Related Programs: FY2021 Budget and Appropriations, by Cory R. Gill, Marian L. Lawson, and

Emily M. Morgenstern.

8 For more information on the various foreign assistance accounts and the programs they fund, see CRS Report

R40482, Department of State, Foreign Operations Appropriations: A Guide to Component Accounts, by Nick M.

Brown and Cory R. Gill.

9 The Economic Support and Development Fund (ESDF) account also would consolidate aid currently provided

through the Democracy Fund and Assistance for Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia accounts, which are not major

sources of funding for the region. The Administration requested funding through the proposed ESDF account in

FY2018, FY2019, and FY2020, but Congress did not support the consolidation of existing foreign assistance accounts.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations



enhance their counterterrorism capacities. NADR funding would have declined

by $3.3 million (12%) compared with the FY2020 estimate.

$11.6 million requested through the International Military Education and

Training (IMET) account to train Latin American and Caribbean military

personnel. IMET funding would have decreased by $2.8 million (19%) compared

with the FY2020 estimate.

$20 million requested through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) account to

provide U.S. military equipment and services to Colombia. FMF funding for the

region would have declined by $52.7 million (72%) compared with the FY2020

estimate.

Table 1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account:

FY2016-FY2021 Request

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

FY2021

(req.)

% Change

FY20EFY21R

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

(est.)

484.4

386.2

385.3

457.8

0.0

—a

ESF

402.9

352.0b

419.1b

402.3b

377.6b

0.0

—a

ESDF

—

760.9

-9%a

GHP

(USAID)

66.4

64.4

63.4

53.3

36.0

-32%

GHP

(State)

123.0

117.7

136.7

170.5

157.7

96.8

-39%

INCLE

524.4

533.2

542.2

564.3

555.2

452.9

-18%

NADR

8.6

25.4

23.5

25.8

27.3

24.0

-12%

IMET

13.0

13.4

11.2

9.9

14.4

11.6

-19%

FMF

69.4

82.7

86.0

82.8

72.7

20.0

-72%

1,691.9

1,673.2b

1,668.4bc

1,694.1b

1,716.0bd

1,402.3

-18%

Account

Total

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justifications for Foreign Operations, FY2018-FY2021, at

https://www.state.gov/plans-performance-budget/international-affairs-budgets/; and U.S. Department of State,

FY2020 estimate data, June 15, 2020.

Notes: DA = Development Assistance; ESDF = Economic Support and Development Fund; ESF = Economic

Support Fund; FMF = Foreign Military Financing; GHP = Global Health Programs; IMET = International Military

Education and Training; INCLE = International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement; NADR =

Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs; State = Department of State; USAID = U.S.

Agency for International Development.

a. The FY2021 request would consolidate several foreign assistance accounts, including DA and ESF, into a

new ESDF account. The table compares the FY2021 ESDF request with the combined FY2020 DA and ESF

estimates.

b. Congress appropriated an additional $9 million of ESF for the region each year from FY2017 to FY2019, and

an additional $5 million of ESF for the region in FY2020. Those funds are not included in this table, because

they were appropriated as multilateral assistance through the Organization of American States.

c. FY2018 totals represent allocations as of the end of that fiscal year. The Trump Administration

subsequently reprogrammed approximately $396 million of FY2018 aid Congress had appropriated for El

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, reallocating some of those funds outside the Latin American and

Caribbean region.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

FY2020 totals do not include any of the funding made available for Latin America and the Caribbean through

supplemental emergency appropriations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major Country and Regional Programs

The Trump Administration’s FY2021 budget request would have reduced U.S. assistance for

most countries and regional programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (see Table 2).

Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. The FY2021 request included $32 million for the CBSI,

which would have been a $28 million (47%) cut compared with the FY2020 estimate. The CBSI

funds maritime and aerial security cooperation, law enforcement capacity building, border and

port security, justice sector reform, and crime prevention programs in the Caribbean.10

Central America. The FY2021 request included $376.9 million to address the underlying

conditions driving irregular migration from Central America to the United States by promoting

good governance, economic prosperity, and improved security in the region. That would have

been a $156.3 million (29%) cut compared with the FY2020 estimate. The request did not include

any foreign aid specifically for El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras (the “Northern Triangle” of

Central America). However, the Administration asserted that those countries could receive a

portion of the assistance requested for CARSI and the USAID Latin America and Caribbean

Regional Program if their governments continued to take action to stem migration to the United

States.11

Colombia. Colombia would have remained the single largest recipient of U.S. assistance in Latin

America and the Caribbean under the Administration’s FY2021 request; however, aid would have

fallen to $412.9 million—a $38.8 million (9%) reduction compared with the FY2020 estimate.

Colombia has received significant U.S. assistance to support counter-narcotics and

counterterrorism efforts since FY2000, and the FY2021 request would have provided continued

support for Colombia’s drug eradication and interdiction efforts. The request also would have

supported the ongoing implementation of the Colombian government’s peace accord with the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), including with aid intended to foster

reconciliation within Colombian society, expand state presence to regions historically under

FARC control, and support rural economic development in marginalized communities.12

Haiti. Haiti, which has received high levels of aid for many years due to its significant

development challenges, would have been the third-largest recipient of U.S. assistance in the

region in FY2021 under the Administration’s request. U.S. assistance increased significantly after

a massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010 but has declined gradually from those elevated levels.

The Administration’s FY2021 request would have provided $128.2 million to Haiti to help

address health challenges (particularly HIV/AIDS), support credible elections, strengthen

government and police capacity, improve food security, and increase economic opportunity. This

would have been a $44.4 million (26%) cut compared with the FY2020 estimate.13

10 For more information on the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, see CRS In Focus IF10789, Caribbean Basin

Security Initiative, by Mark P. Sullivan.

11 For more information on U.S. policy toward Central America, see CRS In Focus IF10371, U.S. Strategy for

Engagement in Central America: An Overview, by Peter J. Meyer.

12 For more information on U.S. policy toward Colombia, see CRS Report R43813, Colombia: Background and U.S.

Relations, by June S. Beittel.

13 For more information on U.S. policy toward Haiti, see CRS Report R45034, Haiti’s Political and Economic

Conditions, by Maureen Taft-Morales.

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Mexico. Mexico would have received $63.8 million of assistance under the FY2021 request,

which would have been a $94.2 million (60%) cut compared with the FY2020 estimate. Mexico

traditionally was not a major U.S. aid recipient due to its middle-income status, but it began

receiving larger amounts of counternarcotics and anti-crime assistance through the Mérida

Initiative in FY2008. The Administration’s FY2021 request for Mexico would have funded

efforts to strengthen the rule of law; secure borders and ports; and combat transnational organized

crime, including opium poppy cultivation and heroin and fentanyl production.14

Venezuela. Venezuela is one of the few countries in the region for which the Administration

requested increased assistance. Although the country continues to contend with interrelated

political, economic, and humanitarian crises, the Administration’s request assumed there would

be progress toward the reestablishment of democracy by FY2021. The request would have

provided $205 million to support a transitional government, improve food security, strengthen the

health system, stabilize the energy sector, and foster economic growth. Total aid to Venezuela

would have increased by $170 million (486%) compared with the FY2020 estimate.15

Table 2. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Country or

Regional Program: FY2016-FY2021 Request

(thousands of current U.S. dollars)

FY2021

(req.)

% Change

FY20EFY21R

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

(est.)

Argentina

579

624

2,918

3,089

3,100

600

-81%

Bahamas

207

173

138

196

200

—

Belize

1,243

1,241

1,143

235

1,250

200

-84%

Bolivia

—

Brazil

12,858

11,690

11,423

11,619

15,800

625

-96%

Chile

670

689

357

487

600

400

-33%

Colombia

293,081

384,248

384,312

421,180

451,703

412,900

-9%

Costa Rica

1,819

5,718

5,725

8,180

8,225

400

-95%

Cuba

20,000

10,000

-50%

Dominican

Republic

21,615

13,736

20,174

36,777

28,661

15,500

-46%

Ecuador

2,000

1,789

12,000

19,450

17,200

-12%

El Salvador

67,900

72,759

57,656a

72,700

-100%

Guatemala

127,515

125,493

108,453a

79,450

-100%

243

277

239

176

200

—

185,076

164,552

181,319

193,752

172,520

128,155

-26%

65,800

-100%

1,598

1,600

600

-63%

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

98,250

95,260

79,678a

Jamaica

5,065

10,597

1,335

14 For more information on U.S. policy toward Mexico, see CRS Report R42917, Mexico: Background and U.S.

Relations, by Clare Ribando Seelke.

15 For more information on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, see CRS Report R44841, Venezuela: Background and U.S.

Relations, coordinated by Clare Ribando Seelke.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

FY2021

(req.)

% Change

FY20EFY21R

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

(est.)

Mexico

160,156

138,566

151,263

162,410

157,910

63,750

-60%

Nicaragua

10,000

9,679

10,000

11,610

10,000

—

Panama

3,346

3,271

3,086

1,162

3,225

1,100

-66%

Paraguay

8,620

6,150

4,297

4,397

4,400

—

Peru

74,898

64,473

74,814

75,396

77,200

68,600

-11%

Suriname

215

269

167

195

200

—

Trinidad and

Tobago

325

343

341

326

350

300

-14%

Uruguay

499

498

401

385

400

300

-25%

Venezuela

6,500

7,000

15,000

22,500

35,000

205,000

+486%

Barbados and

Eastern

Caribbean

26,425

26,629

24,027

3,456

13,950

3,550

-75%

USAID

Caribbean

Development

4,000

3,000

4,000

10,000

-100%

USAID

Central

America

Regional

39,761

38,316

19,931a

181,390b

5,000

-100%

USAID South

America

Regional

12,000

14,000

18,065

18,000

15,000

15,500

+3%

USAID Latin

America and

Caribbean

Regional

28,360

26,700

51,600

68,300

39,978

199,650

+399%

State

Western

Hemisphere

Regional

478,668

425,471

414,795

431,313

402,135

242,926

-40%

[CARSI]

[348,500]

[329,225]

[319,225]a

[290,000]

[270,000]

[185,000]

[-31%]

[CBSI]

[57,721]

[57,700]

[58,000]

[60,000]

[32,000]

[-47%]

Total

1,691,894

1,673,211

1,668,446a

1,694,129

1,716,007c

1,402,256

-18%

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justifications for Foreign Operations, FY2018-FY2021, at

https://www.state.gov/plans-performance-budget/international-affairs-budgets/; and U.S. Department of State,

FY2020 estimate data, June 15, 2020.

Notes: CARSI = Central America Regional Security Initiative; CBSI = Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. CARSI

and CBSI are funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program. USAID and State Department

regional programs fund region-wide initiatives as well as activities that cross borders or take place in

nonpresence countries.

a. FY2018 totals represent allocations as of the end of that fiscal year. The Trump Administration

subsequently reprogrammed approximately $396 million of FY2018 aid Congress had appropriated for El

Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Due to the Trump Administration’s suspension of aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, $181.4

million of FY2019 assistance had yet to be allocated when the Administration released its FY2021 request.

FY2020 totals do not include any of the funding made available for Latin America and the Caribbean through

supplemental emergency appropriations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inter-American Foundation

In addition to the proposed reductions to State Department and USAID-managed assistance for

the region, for the fourth consecutive year, the Trump Administration’s FY2021 budget request

proposed eliminating the IAF and consolidating its programs into USAID.16 The IAF is an

independent U.S. foreign assistance agency established through the Foreign Assistance Act of

1969 (22 U.S.C. §290f). Congress created the agency after conducting a comprehensive review of

previous assistance efforts and determining that programs at the government-to-government level

had not promoted significant social and civic change in the region despite fostering economic

growth.17 The IAF provides grants and other targeted assistance directly to the organized poor to

foster economic and social development and to encourage civic engagement in their communities.

The IAF is active in 24 countries in the region—including 8 countries where USAID no longer

has field missions—and has focused particularly on migrant-sending communities in Central

America since 2014.

The Trump Administration asserted that merging the IAF’s small grants programs into USAID

would “better integrate [those small grants] with USAID’s existing global development programs,

more cohesively serve U.S. foreign policy objectives, and increase organizational efficiencies

through reducing duplication and overhead.”18 The FY2021 request included $3.9 million to

conduct an orderly closeout of the IAF (see Table 3). Opponents of the merger noted that

Congress specifically created the IAF as an alternative to other U.S. agencies. They argued that

USAID would not be able to maintain the IAF’s distinct model and flexibility, which have

allowed the IAF to invest in innovative projects and work with groups that otherwise would be

unable or unwilling to partner with the U.S. government.

Table 3. Inter-American Foundation (IAF) Appropriations: FY2016-FY2021 Request

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

(est.)

FY2021

(req.)

% Change

FY20-FY21

22.5

30.0

22.5

37.5

3.9

-90%

Source: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justifications for Foreign Operations, FY2018-FY2021, at

https://www.state.gov/plans-performance-budget/international-affairs-budgets/.

Legislative Developments

Similar to prior years, Congress did not conclude action on appropriations for FY2021 until

several months into the fiscal year. Although the House passed a foreign aid appropriations

measure (Division A of H.R. 7608; H.Rept. 116-444) in July 2020 and the Senate Appropriations

16 The Trump Administration is not the first to propose elimination of the Inter-American Foundation. In 1999,

Congress passed legislation (P.L. 106-113, later amended by P.L. 106-429) that authorized the President during

FY2000-FY2001 to abolish the Inter-American Foundation. However, the President did not exercise that authority.

17 H.Rept. 91-611, p. 57.

18 U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related

Programs, Fiscal Year 2021, February 10, 2020, p. 85.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Committee released a draft bill in November 2020, neither was enacted. Instead, Congress passed

a series of continuing resolutions that funded foreign aid programs in the region at the FY2020

level from October 1, 2020 until December 27, 2020, when President Trump signed into law the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260). The act and the accompanying

explanatory statement do not specify appropriations levels for every Latin American and

Caribbean country, but the amounts they designate for several U.S. initiatives differ significantly

from the Administration’s request (see Table 4).19

Table 4. U.S. Foreign Assistance for Selected Countries and Initiatives:

FY2021 Appropriations Legislation

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

FY2020 (est.)

FY2021 (req.)

H.R. 7608

Senate

Committee

Draft

Caribbean Basin

Security

Initiative

60.0

32.0

74.8

60.0

74.8

Central America

533.2

376.9

519.9

505.9

Colombia

451.7

412.9

457.3

455.4

461.4

Haiti

172.5

128.2

51.0a

172.5

51.0a

Inter-American

Foundation

37.5

3.9

41.5b

37.5

38.0

Mexico

157.9

63.8

159.9

157.9

158.9

Venezuela

35.0

205.0

30.0

35.0

33.0

P.L. 116-260

Sources: H.R. 7608; H.Rept. 116-444; the Senate Appropriations Committee’s draft bill and explanatory

statement, available at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/committee-releases-fy21-bills-in-effort-toadvance-process-produce-bipartisan-results; P.L. 116-260; and the explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 116260, available at https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201221/BILLS-116RCP68-JES-DIVISION-K.pdf.

Notes:

a. P.L. 116-260, like H.R. 7608, designates $51 million of DA for Haiti, but does not specify appropriations

levels for other foreign assistance accounts.

b. H.R. 7608 would have provided an additional $10 million of emergency funding for the IAF to respond to

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. P.L. 116-260 provides “not less than” $74.8 million for the

CBSI, which is nearly $43 million more than the Trump Administration requested and nearly $15

million more than was allocated to the initiative in FY2020.

Central America. P.L. 116-260 states that $505.9 million “should be made available” for Central

America and that such assistance “shall be prioritized for programs and activities that address the

key factors that contribute to the migration of unaccompanied, undocumented minors to the

United States.” That amount is $129 million more than the Administration requested but $27

million less than was allocated to the region in FY2020. As in prior years, the act requires the

State Department to withhold some assistance for the Northern Triangle countries until it can

certify the Northern Triangle governments are addressing certain congressional concerns. The

19 The Senate Appropriations Committee’s draft bill is available at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/

doc/SFOPSFY2021.pdf; the draft explanatory statement is available at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/

media/doc/SFOPSRept.pdf.

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explanatory statement accompanying the act designates country-by-country funding levels, as

well as allocations for certain priorities, including $45 million to support Offices of Attorneys

General and other entities to combat corruption and impunity and $25 million to combat sexual

and gender-based violence in the region.

Colombia. P.L. 116-260 provides “not less than” $461.4 million for Colombia, which is $48.5

million more than the Administration requested and nearly $10 million more than allocated to the

country in FY2020. As in previous years, the act requires the State Department to withhold some

security assistance for Colombia until it can certify the Colombian government is taking action to

address counternarcotics and human rights concerns. The explanatory statement accompanying

the act specifies funding levels for certain congressional priorities, including $46 million for ruleof-law and human rights programs and $20 million for Afro-Colombian and indigenous

communities.

Haiti. The explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 116-260 allocates $51 million of DA for

Haiti. It does not specify appropriations levels for other foreign assistance accounts, however, so

the total amount of aid to be provided to Haiti remains unclear. The act maintains a certification

requirement from prior years that directs the State Department to withhold some assistance for

Haiti until the Haitian government takes steps to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption,

and increase government revenues.

Inter-American Foundation. P.L. 116-260 provides $38 million for the IAF, rejecting the

Administration’s proposal to close the agency and increasing the IAF’s annual appropriation by

$500,000 compared with FY2020. The explanatory statement accompanying the act designates

$10 million of the funds appropriated for Central America to be provided through the IAF and

notes that the act provides funding to support a pilot exchange program between indigenous IAF

grantees and Native American tribes.

Mexico. The explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 116-260 allocates $159.9 million for

Mexico, which is $95 million more than the Administration requested and $1 million more than

was allocated to the country in FY2020. The explanatory statement also directs the State

Department to withhold some FMF from Mexico until it can certify the Mexican government is

cooperating on counternarcotics efforts and addressing human rights concerns.

Venezuela. P.L. 116-260 provides “not less than” $33 million for democracy programs in

Venezuela. That amount is $172 million less than the Administration requested and $2 million

less than was allocated to the country in FY2020.

Policy Issues for Congress

The 116th Congress examined a variety of policy issues as it considered FY2021 appropriations

for foreign operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. These issues included how to respond

to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether to exert greater congressional control over U.S. assistance

to Central America, and how the new U.S. International Development Finance Corporation may

complement U.S. assistance efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean. Many of these policy

issues could be subject to further debate, legislation, and oversight in the 117th Congress.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

COVID-19 Response20

Conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean changed significantly between the Trump

Administration’s release of its FY2021 budget request in February 2020 and the enactment of the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260), on December 27, 2020. The region

emerged as an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in late May and accounted for 19% of total

cases and 28% of deaths recorded worldwide by the end of the year. As of December 31, 2020,

the region had recorded some 15.6 million cases and more than 507,000 deaths.21

Most analysts expect the pandemic’s economic impact to be severe. The U.N. Economic

Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), for example, estimates the region’s

average gross domestic product contracted by 7.7% in 2020—the largest decline in 120 years.22

Based on an earlier projection of a 9.1% contraction, ECLAC estimated the pandemic would push

an additional 45 million people into poverty and an additional 28 million into extreme poverty. As

a result, the regional poverty rate would climb from 30% to 37% and the extreme poverty rate

would climb from 11% to nearly 16%.23

A number of Latin American and Caribbean countries have enacted substantial economic support

measures intended to mitigate the pandemic’s impact and reactivate their economies. Others lack

the resources to protect vulnerable households. Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, for

example, are struggling with acute food insecurity crises, in part, due to the pandemic and

government containment measures, which have reduced earnings and contributed to higher food

prices.24 Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which struck Central America in November 2020, have

exacerbated the situation. The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network projects

all three countries will have higher than typical emergency food assistance needs into mid-2021.25

Given those humanitarian needs and the potential threats to U.S. interests posed by a prolonged

pandemic and economic downturn in the region, some analysts have argued that the United States

should scale up assistance for Latin American and Caribbean countries.26

In March 2020, Congress enacted two FY2020 supplemental appropriations measures (P.L. 116123 and P.L. 116-136) that provided nearly $1.8 billion in U.S. foreign assistance to prevent,

prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 globally. USAID and the State Department have begun

addressing needs in the Latin American and Caribbean region using those supplemental funds and

prior appropriations. As of August 21, 2020 (latest information made available), the

Administration said it was providing more than $141 million in new and previously announced

assistance to help countries in the region respond to the pandemic. That total includes $69.5

20 For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11581, Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19, by Mark

P. Sullivan et al.

21 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Coronavirus Resource Center, “Mortality Analyses,” January 1, 2021,

at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality. COVID-19-related data may be expected to evolve rapidly.

22 U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Preliminary Overview of the

Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2020, December 16, 2020.

23 United Nations, Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean, July 2020.

24 Famine Early Warning Systems Network, “Central America and Caribbean: Crisis (IPC Phase 3) Persists Despite

Recent Harvests and Seasonally High Labor Demand,” October 2020.

25 Famine Early Warning Systems Network, “Food Assistance Outlook Brief: Projected Food Assistance Needs for

June 2021,” December 2020.

26 See, for examples, Trevor Sutton, Dan Restrepo, and Joel Martinez, Getting Ahead of the Curve: Why the United

States Needs to Plan for the Coronavirus in the Americas, Center for American Progress, May 5, 2020; “Congress

Should Approve Aid for COVID-19’s New Epicenter: Latin America and the Caribbean,” joint statement from 34 civil

society groups, Washington Office on Latin America, June 8, 2020; and Walter Kerr, “Latin America Can’t Survive the

Coronavirus Crisis Alone,” Foreign Policy, August 3, 2020.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

million of International Disaster Assistance, $33.8 million of Migration and Refugee Assistance,

$27.6 million of health assistance, and $10.5 million of ESF (see Table 5). Among other

activities, U.S. assistance is funding efforts to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene; reduce

food insecurity; communicate risks through community engagement; strengthen laboratories,

clinical management, and disease surveillance; support migrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and

host communities; and address the second-order economic and social impacts of the pandemic.

Table 5. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean to Respond to

the COVID-19 Pandemic

(as of August 21, 2020, in thousands of current U.S. dollars)

International

Disaster

Assistance

Migration and

Refugee

Assistance

Health

Assistance

Economic

Support

Funds

Total

Assistance

Argentina

—

300

—

300

Bahamas

—

750

—

750

Belize

—

300

—

300

Bolivia

—

130

750

—

880

Brazil

6,000

4,800

2,000

950

13,750

Chile

—

Colombia

15,500

8,100

—

23,600

Costa Rica

—

880

800

—

1,680

Cuba

—

Dominican

Republic

—

275

1,400

2,000

3,675

Ecuador

11,000

5,000

2,000

—

18,000

El Salvador

2,000

—

2,600

2,000

6,600

Guatemala

6,000

—

2,400

1,500

9,900

Guyana

—

350

—

350

Haiti

10,000

—

3,200

—

13,200

Honduras

3,000

700

2,400

—

6,100

Jamaica

—

1,000

2,000

Mexico

—

2,100

—

2,100

Nicaragua

—

750

—

750

Panama

—

1,100

750

—

1,850

Paraguay

—

1,300

—

1,395

7,000

3,800

2,500

3,000

16,300

Trinidad and

Tobago

—

250

—

250

Uruguay

—

100

500

—

600

Venezuela

9,000

4,700

—

13,700

Peru

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

International

Disaster

Assistance

Migration and

Refugee

Assistance

Health

Assistance

Economic

Support

Funds

Total

Assistance

Central

America

(regional)a

—

1,100

—

1,100

Caribbean

(regional)b

—

2,200

—

2,200

69,500

33,800

27,600

10,450

141,350

Total

Sources: U.S. Department of State, “Update: The United States Continues to Lead the Global Response to

COVID-19,” fact sheet, August 21, 2020, at https://www.state.gov/update-the-united-states-continues-to-leadthe-global-response-to-covid-19-6/; and CRS communication with USAID, August 2020.

Notes: Health assistance is provided through USAID’s Global Health Emergency Reserve Fund for Contagious

Infectious-Disease Outbreaks and the Global Health Programs account.

a. Central America regional assistance is funding projects in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

b. Caribbean regional assistance is funding projects in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada,

Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and

Tobago.

Although the Latin American and Caribbean region is expected to experience the deepest

economic downturn in the world,27 it has received less than 9% of the $1.6 billion of pandemicrelated assistance that USAID and the State Department have announced thus far.28 USAID and

the State Department work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other

interagency partners to determine assistance allocations. According to USAID, the prioritization

process is based on a series of factors that include caseload and extent of community

transmission, connectivity to a COVID-19 hotspot, unstable political situations or displaced

populations, health system weaknesses, and the potential impact of U.S. assistance.29

Congress deliberated on whether to provide additional funding for international pandemic

response during the FY2021 appropriations process. Whereas the House-passed FY2021 foreign

aid appropriations measure (Division A of H.R. 7608) would have provided $9.1 billion of

emergency foreign aid to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic—including $10 million to be

provided through the IAF—the Senate Appropriations Committee’s draft bill would not have

provided any such funding. Congress ultimately appropriated $4 billion of emergency global

health assistance in P.L. 116-260 to be provided to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, to procure and

deliver coronavirus vaccines worldwide. Ten low- and lower-middle-income countries in Latin

America and the Caribbean are eligible for assistance in obtaining vaccines through the GAVI

COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment.30 Analysts caution, however, that vaccines

may not be widely available in much of the region until 2022.31

Congress also assessed funding for the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is the

specialized international health agency of the Americas and the World Health Organization’s

27 International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook, October 2020: A Long and Difficult Ascent, October 2020.

28 U.S. Department of State, “Update: The United States Continues to Lead the Global Response to COVID-19,” fact

sheet, August 21, 2020.

29 USAID, “COVID-19 – Global Response,” fact sheet #1, April 21, 2020.

30 The 10 countries eligible for assistance under the COVAX AMC are Bolivia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada,

Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

31 “Latam Faces Drawn-out Vaccine Rollout,” Economist Intelligence Unit, December 17, 2020.

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regional office.32 PAHO has been providing direct pandemic response support to health ministries

throughout the region to strengthen surveillance, testing, and laboratory capacity; bolster health

care services; support infection prevention control, clinical management, and risk

communications; and prepare for vaccine distribution.33 The Trump Administration requested

$16.3 million for PAHO in FY2021, which would have left 75% of the U.S. government’s

assessed contribution (membership dues) for FY2021 unpaid. The Administration also withheld

the U.S. government’s FY2020 assessed contribution until July 2020, due to concerns about the

organization’s participation in a 2013-2018 program that paid Cuba to send doctors to

underserved areas of Brazil.34 The Administration’s decision to withhold the $65.8 million

assessment reportedly left PAHO on “the brink of insolvency” at the same time the organization

was trying to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.35 It appears as though P.L. 116-260 fully funds

the U.S. government’s $65.2 million assessed contribution to PAHO for FY2021.

In addition to overseeing the funds appropriated for FY2021, the 117th Congress may consider

providing additional aid or approving other support for pandemic recovery in Latin America and

the Caribbean. A bill introduced in the final weeks of the 116th Congress (S. 4997), for example,

would have authorized $24 billion for a capital increase for the Inter-American Development

Bank to increase the organization’s lending capacity to support immediate recovery efforts as

well as long-term sustainable development in the region.

Central America Funding Directives36

From FY2016 to FY2020, Congress appropriated more than $3.1 billion to improve security,

governance, and socioeconomic conditions in Central America as part of a whole-of-government

initiative to address the drivers of irregular migration. However, in March 2019—less than two

years into the initiative’s on-the-ground implementation—the Trump Administration suspended

most foreign aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The Administration proceeded to

reprogram approximately $396 million of aid appropriated for the Northern Triangle countries in

FY2018, reallocating the funds to other foreign policy priorities within, and outside of, the Latin

American and Caribbean region.37 The Administration also withheld most of the assistance

Congress appropriated for Central America in FY2019 while it negotiated a series of agreements

intended to stem the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers from the Northern Triangle to the

United States.

The aid suspension resulted in USAID and the State Department closing down projects and

cancelling planned activities. In Honduras, for example, the total number of beneficiaries of

USAID activities fell from 1.5 million in March 2019 to 700,000 in March 2020.38 Some

32 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), founded in 1902 as part of the inter-American system, predates the

World Health Organization.

33 For more information, see PAHO’s COVID-19 situation reports at https://www.paho.org/en/tag/covid-19-situationreports.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, “Pan American Health Organization Transparency,” U.S. Department of

State, July 15, 2020; and CRS communication with the U.S. Department of State, July 21, 2020.

35 PAHO, “Current Financial Situation and Adjustments to the Pan American Health Organization Strategic Priorities,”

CESS1/2, May 21, 2020.

36 For more information on U.S. policy in Central America, see CRS Report R44812, U.S. Strategy for Engagement in

Central America: Policy Issues for Congress, by Peter J. Meyer.

37 U.S. Department of State, Progress Report to Congress on the Plan for Monitoring and Evaluation of Assistance in

Support of the United States Strategy for Engagement in Central America, October 8, 2020, p. 2.

38 USAID/Honduras briefing documents, provided to CRS, August 22, 2019.

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Members of Congress criticized the aid suspension as counterproductive, arguing that

withholding assistance “erodes the capacity of USAID to improve conditions on the ground—the

very conditions driving people to leave for safer lives in the United States.”39 The Administration

began releasing some targeted aid to the Northern Triangle in late 2019, and it had programmed

all of the previously suspended assistance for the region as of June 2020. The Administration

asserted that continued assistance to the Northern Triangle would depend on the Salvadoran,

Guatemalan, and Honduran governments continuing to “take actions to stem illegal immigration

to the United States.”40

Congress provided the Administration with significant authority to modify assistance allocations

for Central America in annual appropriations measures. The Consolidated Appropriations Act,

2018 (P.L. 115-141), provided “up to” $615 million of assistance for the region.41 However, the

act also required the Administration to withhold some assistance for El Salvador, Guatemala, and

Honduras and authorized the Administration to suspend and reprogram that assistance if the

Northern Triangle governments failed to meet certain conditions related to border security,

corruption, and human rights, among other issues.42 Although the act directed the Administration

to abide by the funding allocations included in the accompanying explanatory statement, it also

authorized the Administration to deviate from those allocations by more than 4% “to respond to

significant, exigent, or unforeseen events or to address other exceptional circumstances directly

related to the national interest.”43 The Administration used that deviation authority to reprogram

the vast majority of assistance Congress appropriated for Central America in FY2018. Among the

“significant, exigent, or unforeseen events” cited by the Administration were “the failure of the

Northern Triangle countries to address illegal immigration,” “the rapidly evolving crisis in

Venezuela and the need to support the democratically elected National Assembly,” and “an

opportunity to support Caribbean leaders in the wake of the devastating 2017 hurricane season.”44

Congress included similar suspension, reprogramming, and deviation authorities in the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6), but added some limitations to the

Administration’s flexibility in FY2020. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L.

116-94), stated that “not less than” $519.9 million “should be made available” for Central

America and stipulated specific funding levels for each country in the accompanying explanatory

statement.45 The act also significantly restricted the Administration’s authority to deviate below

those funding levels by more than 10%.46 At the same time, the act once again required the

Administration to withhold some aid for the Northern Triangle and authorized the Administration

to reprogram that aid if the Northern Triangle governments failed to meet certain conditions.47

39 Letter from Eliot L. Engel, Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Albio Sires, Chairman, House

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, and Trade, to Honorable Michael Pompeo, Secretary of

State, December 4, 2019.

40 U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Foreign Operations, Appendix 2, Fiscal Year 2021, p.

220.

41 P.L. 115-141,

§7045(a)(1).

§7045(a)(3) and 7045(a)(4).

43 P.L. 115-141, §7019.

42 P.L. 115-141,

44 USAID, CN #195, August 16, 2019; CN #157, July 11, 2019; and CN #166, July 19, 2019.

45 P.L. 116-94,

§§7019(a) and 7045(a)(1)(A).

§7019(b).

47 P.L. 116-94, §7045(a)(2)(A).

46 P.L. 116-94,

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

The House-passed foreign aid appropriations measure (H.R. 7608) would have exerted greater

control over U.S. assistance to Central America in FY2021. The bill would have directed that “not

less than” $519.9 million “shall be made available” for assistance to Central America, including

“not less than” $420.8 million for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.48 Likewise, the bill

would have tightened the FY2020 funding directive for Central America enacted in P.L. 116-94,

changing $519.9 million “should be made available” to $519.9 million “shall be made available”

for assistance to the region.49 The bill also would have further restricted the Administration’s

authority to deviate below the country allocations specified in H.Rept. 116-444, limiting such

changes to 5%.50 In contrast, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s draft bill would have

directed that $505.9 million “should be made available” for assistance to Central America in

FY2021 and would have maintained the Administration’s authority to deviate below that funding

level by 10%.51 Both bills would have maintained Northern Triangle-specific withholding and

reprogramming authorities similar to those enacted in prior years.52

The relevant provisions enacted in P.L. 116-260 are more similar to those that were included in

the Senate Appropriations Committee’s draft bill than those that were included in H.R. 7608. The

act states that $505.9 million “should be made available” for assistance to Central America and

authorizes the Administration to deviate below that funding level by “not more than” 10%.53 Like

each appropriations measure enacted since FY2016, the act requires the State Department to

withhold some aid that would support the central governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and

Honduras until the Secretary of State certifies those governments have met a series of conditions.

If the Secretary is unable to certify the governments’ compliance with the legislative conditions,

the act directs the Administration to reprogram that assistance to other countries in Latin America

and the Caribbean.54 With a change in Administrations, the 117th Congress may reexamine the

amount of flexibility it delegates to the executive branch.

Role of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation55

In addition to appropriating foreign aid for Latin American and Caribbean countries, the 116th

Congress assessed how other development tools, such as the new U.S. International Development

Finance Corporation (DFC), may supplement U.S. assistance efforts in the region. The 115th

Congress authorized the establishment of the DFC in the Better Utilization of Investments

Leading to Development Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-254, Division F). According to the act, the DFC

aims to “facilitate the participation of private sector capital and skills in the economic

development of less developed countries … and countries in transition from nonmarket to market

48 H.R. 7608,

§7045(a)(1)(A).

§7045(a)(1)(B).

50 H.R. 7608, §7019.

49 H.R. 7608,

51 Senate Appropriations Committee draft State Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs,

Appropriations Act, 2021, §§7019 and 7045(a)(1).

52 H.R. 7608,

§7045(a)(2); and Senate Appropriations Committee draft State Department, Foreign Operations, and

Related Programs, Appropriations Act, 2021, §7045(a)(2).

53 P.L. 116-260,

54 P.L. 116-260,

§§7019 and 7045(a)(1).

§7045(a)(2).

55 For more information on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), see CRS In Focus

IF11436, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), by Shayerah Ilias Akhtar and Nick M. Brown.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

economies in order to complement the development assistance objectives, and advance the

foreign policy interests, of the United States.”56

Officially launched in December 2019, the DFC is authorized to provide direct loans and loan

guarantees, equity financing, political risk insurance, feasibility studies, and technical assistance.

Those products, backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, aim to provide private

sector entities with the liquidity and assurances needed to invest in projects that otherwise would

be unable to attract sufficient capital due to the risks associated with investing in less developed

countries. The DFC is expected to be self-sustaining, generating sufficient funds from service

fees, interest earnings, and investment returns to cover its annual operating and program

expenses.

The DFC’s ability to operate in Latin America and the Caribbean is somewhat constrained by a

statutory requirement to prioritize support for low- and lower-middle-income economies, as

defined by the World Bank. As of 2020, five Latin American and Caribbean countries fell into

those categories: Haiti, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The World Bank classifies

20 countries in the region as upper-middle-income economies, which are restricted from receiving

DFC support unless the President certifies that such support “furthers the national economic or

foreign policy interests of the United States” and “is designed to produce significant

developmental outcomes or provide developmental benefits to the poorest” sectors of their

populations.57 Eight other countries in the region are ineligible for DFC support because the

World Bank classifies them as high-income economies.58

Despite those limitations, the DFC Board of Directors approved nearly $2.5 billion of

commitments for projects in Latin American and Caribbean countries in 2020.59 These

commitments include a $25 million investment to boost cobalt and nickel production in Brazil’s

northeastern state of Piauí, $100 million in political risk insurance to support marine conservation

in St. Lucia, a loan of up to $150 million to expand lending to women-owned and -led businesses

in Ecuador, and a loan of up to $241 million to support the development and construction of four

solar power plants in Mexico. The DFC also inherited approximately $9.5 billion of active

projects from its predecessor—the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.60

There was some debate in the 116th Congress regarding whether the DFC was devoting sufficient

resources to Latin America and the Caribbean and whether it was striking the right balance

between fostering development and supporting U.S. strategic interests. Some Members urged the

DFC to expand its operations in the region to counter China, which has provided more than $137

billion in state-backed finance to Latin American and Caribbean countries since 2005.61 The

Advancing Competitiveness, Transparency, and Security in the Americas Act (ACTSA; S.

56 P.L. 115-254,

§1412 (b).

57 P.L. 115-254, 1412(c).

58 The high-income economies are Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Chile, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis,

Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. World Bank, “World Bank Country and Lending Groups,”

https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups.

59 DFC, “DFC Approves Nearly $900 Million for Global Development Projects,” press release, March 12, 2020; DFC,

“DFC Approves $1 Billion of Investments in Global Development,” press release, June 4, 2020; DFC, “DFC Approves

$3.6 Billion of New Investments in Global Development in Largest Quarter Ever,” press release, September 9, 2020;

and DFC, “DFC Approves Over $2.1 Billion in New Investments for Global Development,” press release, December

10, 2020.

60 DFC, “Active Projects Database,” accessed October 2020, at https://www.dfc.gov/our-impact/all-active-projects.

61 Kevin P. Gallagher and Margaret Myers, “China-Latin America Finance Database,” Inter-American Dialogue, 2020,

at https://www.thedialogue.org/map_list/.

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

4528/H.R. 8716) would have designated all Caribbean countries—with the exception of Cuba—

as priorities for DFC support. The measure also would have dedicated “not less than” 35% of the

DFC’s development financing and equity investments to Latin American and Caribbean countries

for a 10-year period. Some development advocates voiced concerns that shifting the DFC’s

funding toward upper-middle- and high-income countries to advance U.S. national security

interests would erode the DFC’s development mandate.62

Congress ultimately did not pass ACTSA, but the explanatory statement accompanying P.L. 116260 states that the DFC “shall expand engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean that

catalyzes private sector investment in initiatives to increase distributed energy generation

systems, and expands economic opportunities with partners in the region, including with minority

and women-owned businesses.” The DFC’s operations in the region, including the extent to

which they support development and U.S. strategic interests, may receive additional scrutiny in

the 117th Congress.

62 The 116th Congress previously eased the DFC’s development requirements for energy infrastructure projects in

Europe and Eurasia with the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019, enacted as part of the Further

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94, Division P, Title XX). Todd Moss and Erin Collinson, “Russia,

DFC, and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Idea Buried in the Spending Law,” Center for Global

Development, January 15, 2020; and Adva Saldringer, “What the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

Needs to Do in Year 1,” Devex, January 14, 2020.

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Appendix A. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin

America and the Caribbean by Account and Country

or Regional Program: FY2019

Table A-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2019

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

ESFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Total

Argentina

—

2.5

—

0.6

—

3.1

Bahamas

—

0.2

—

0.2

Belize

—

0.2

Bolivia

—

0.0

Brazil

11.0

—

0.6

—

11.6

Chile

—

0.5

—

0.5

Colombia

—

187.3

3.0

—

170.0

21.0

1.3

38.5

421.2

Costa Rica

—

0.7

7.5

8.2

Cuba

—

20.0

—

20.0

Dominican

Republic

7.8

2.0

—

26.5

—

0.5

—

36.8

Ecuador

5.0

—

7.0

—

12.0

El Salvadorb

—

0.0

Guatemalab

—

0.0

Guyana

—

0.2

—

0.2

Haiti

51.0

—

24.5

103.0

15.0

—

0.2

—

193.8

Hondurasb

—

0.0

Jamaica

1.0

—

0.6

—

1.6

Mexico

—

45.0

—

110.0

1.2

1.3

5.0

162.4

Nicaragua

11.6

—

11.6

Panama

—

0.5

0.7

—

1.2

Paraguay

4.0

—

0.4

—

4.4

Peru

40.0

1.0

—

32.0

—

0.6

1.8

75.4

Suriname

—

0.2

—

0.2

Trinidad &

Tobago

—

0.3

—

0.3

Uruguay

—

0.4

—

0.4

Venezuela

—

17.5

5.0

—

22.5

Barbados &

Eastern

Caribbean

3.0

—

0.5

—

3.5

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0.2

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

ESFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Total

USAID

Caribbean

Developmentc

4.0

—

4.0

USAID Central

America

Regionalbc

168.4

—

13.0

—

181.4

USAID South

America

Regionalc

18.0

—

18.0

USAID Latin

America and

Caribbean

Regionalc

60.5

—

7.8

—

68.3

State Western

Hemisphere

Regionalc

—

129.5

—

41.0

227.8

3.2

—

30.0

431.3

[CARSI]d

[—]

[100.0]

[—]

[190.0]

[—]

[290.0]

[CBSI]d

[—]

[25.3]

[—]

[25.3]

[—]

[7.5]

[58.0]

385.3

402.3a

53.3

170.5

564.3

25.8

9.9

82.8

1,694.1

Total

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and

Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2021, April 2020, p. 19; and Congressional Research Service

(CRS) communication with the State Department and USAID, June 2020.

Notes: DA = Development Assistance; ESF = Economic Support Fund; GHP = Global Health Programs; INCLE

= International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement; NADR = Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining,

and Related Programs; IMET = International Military Education and Training; FMF = Foreign Military Financing;

USAID = U.S. Agency for International Development; CARSI = Central America Regional Security Initiative; and

CBSI = Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.

a. This amount does not include an additional $9 million of ESF for the region that Congress appropriated in

FY2019 as multilateral assistance through the Organization of American States.

b. Due to the Trump Administration’s suspension of aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, $181.4

million of FY2019 assistance had yet to be allocated when the Administration released its FY2021 request.

c. USAID and State Department regional programs fund region-wide initiatives as well as activities that cross

borders or take place in nonpresence countries.

d. CARSI and CBSI are funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program.

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Appendix B. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin

America and the Caribbean by Account and Country

or Regional Program: FY2020 Estimate

Table B-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2020

Estimate

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

ESFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Totala

Argentina

—

2.5

—

0.6

—

3.1

Bahamas

—

0.2

—

0.2

Belize

—

0.3

1.0

1.3

Bolivia

—

0.0

Brazil

15.0

—

0.8

—

15.8

Chile

—

0.6

—

0.6

Colombia

61.0

146.3

3.0

—

180.0

21.0

1.9

38.5

451.7

Costa Rica

—

0.7

7.5

8.2

Cuba

—

20.0

—

20.0

Dominican

Republic

7.0

—

21.2

—

0.5

—

28.7

Ecuador

12.2

—

7.0

—

0.3

—

19.5

El Salvador

70.0

—

0.8

1.9

72.7

Guatemala

65.7

—

13.0

—

0.8

—

79.5

Guyana

—

0.2

—

0.2

Haiti

51.0

—

24.5

78.8

18.0

—

0.3

—

172.5

Honduras

65.0

—

0.8

—

65.8

Jamaica

1.0

—

0.6

—

1.6

Mexico

—

50.0

—

100.0

1.2

1.8

5.0

157.9

Nicaragua

10.0

—

10.0

Panama

—

0.5

0.7

2.0

3.2

Paraguay

4.0

—

0.4

—

4.4

Peru

34.8

—

40.0

—

0.6

1.8

77.2

Suriname

—

0.2

—

0.2

Trinidad &

Tobago

—

0.4

—

0.4

Uruguay

—

0.4

—

0.4

30.0

5.0

—

35.0

Venezuela

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

ESFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Totala

Barbados &

Eastern

Caribbean

2.0

—

11.3

—

0.7

—

14.0

USAID

Caribbean

Developmentb

7.0

3.0

—

10.0

USAID Central

America

Regionalb

5.0

—

5.0

USAID South

America

Regionalb

15.0

—

15.0

USAID Latin

America and

Caribbean

Regionalb

32.2

—

7.8

—

40.0

State Western

Hemisphere

Regionalb

—

128.3

—

46.5

207.7

4.6

—

15.0

402.1

[CARSI]c

[—]

[100.0]

[—]

[170.0]

[—]

[270.0]

[CBSI]c

[—]

[27.3]

[—]

[25.2]

[—]

[7.5]

[60.0]

Total

457.8

377.6a

53.3

157.7

555.2

27.3

14.4

72.7

1,716.0

Sources: U.S. Department of State, FY2020 estimate data, June 15, 2020; and CRS communication with the

State Department and USAID, June 2020.

Notes: These totals do not include any of the assistance made available for Latin America and the Caribbean

through supplemental emergency appropriations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. DA = Development

Assistance; ESF = Economic Support Fund; GHP = Global Health Programs; INCLE = International Narcotics

Control and Law Enforcement; NADR = Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs;

IMET = International Military Education and Training; FMF = Foreign Military Financing; USAID = U.S. Agency for

International Development; CARSI = Central America Regional Security Initiative; and CBSI = Caribbean Basin

Security Initiative.

a. This amount does not include an additional $5 million of ESF for the region that Congress appropriated in

FY2020 as multilateral assistance through the Organization of American States.

b. USAID and State Department regional programs fund region-wide initiatives as well as activities that cross

borders or take place in nonpresence countries.

c. CARSI and CBSI are funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program.

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Appendix C. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin

America and the Caribbean by Account and Country

or Regional Program: FY2021 Request

Table C-1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021

Request

(millions of current U.S. dollars)

ESDFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Total

Argentina

—

0.6

—

0.6

Bahamas

—

0.2

—

0.2

Belize

—

0.2

—

0.2

Bolivia

—

0.0

Brazil

—

0.6

—

0.6

Chile

—

0.4

—

0.4

Colombia

140.0

—

237.5

14.0

1.4

20.0

412.9

Costa Rica

—

0.4

—

0.4

Cuba

10.0

—

10.0

Dominican

Republic

5.0

—

10.0

—

0.5

—

15.5

Ecuador

10.0

—

7.0

—

0.2

—

17.2

El Salvador

—

0.0

Guatemala

—

0.0

Guyana

—

0.2

—

0.2

Haiti

25.5

22.0

75.0

5.4

—

0.3

—

128.2

Honduras

—

0.0

Jamaica

—

0.6

—

0.6

Mexico

20.3

—

41.0

1.0

1.5

—

63.8

Nicaragua

10.0

—

10.0

Panama

—

0.4

0.7

—

1.1

Paraguay

4.0

—

0.4

—

4.4

Peru

27.0

—

40.0

1.0

0.6

—

68.6

Suriname

—

0.2

—

0.2

Trinidad &

Tobago

—

0.3

—

0.3

Uruguay

—

0.3

—

0.3

Venezuela

200.0

5.0

—

205.0

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

ESDFa

GHPUSAID

GHPState

INCLE

NADR

IMET

FMF

Total

Barbados &

Eastern

Caribbean

3.0

—

0.6

—

3.6

USAID

Caribbean

Developmentb

—

USAID Central

America

Regionalb

—

USAID South

America

Regionalb

15.5

—

15.5

USAID Latin

America and

Caribbean

Regionalb

190.7

9.0

—

199.7

State Western

Hemisphere

Regional

100.0

—

11.8

122.0

7.6

1.5

—

242.9

[CARSI]c

[75.0]

[—]

[110.0]

[—]

[185.0]

[CBSI]c

[20.0]

[—]

[12.0]

[—]

[32.0]

Total

760.9

36.0

96.8

452.9

24.0

11.6

20.0

1,402.3

Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and

Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2021, April 2020, p. 19; and U.S. Department of State, Budget

Rollout Presentation, February 2020.

Notes: ESDF = Economic Support and Development Fund; GHP = Global Health Programs; INCLE =

International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement; NADR = Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining,

and Related Programs; IMET = International Military Education and Training; FMF = Foreign Military Financing;

USAID = U.S. Agency for International Development; CARSI = Central America Regional Security Initiative; and

CBSI = Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.

a. The FY2021 request would consolidate several foreign assistance accounts, including DA and ESF, into a

new ESDF account. The table compares the FY2021 ESDF request with the combined FY2020 DA and ESF

estimates.

b. USAID and State Department regional programs fund region-wide initiatives as well as activities that cross

borders or take place in nonpresence countries.

c. CARSI and CBSI are funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program.

Congressional Research Service

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2021 Appropriations

Author Information

Peter J. Meyer

Specialist in Latin American and Canadian Affairs

Rachel L. Martin

Research Assistant

Disclaimer

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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other

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Congressional Research Service

R46514 · VERSION 8 · UPDATED

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