Cuts Central American aid

Democrats fume as Trump cuts Central American aid

The administration has intensified its argument that illegal immigration has created a crisis demanding additional resources and changes to existing laws.

By TED HESSON

Democratic lawmakers and other supporters of foreign aid to Central America fumed over the weekend following President Donald Trump’s announcement Friday that he will cut hundreds of millions in assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, called the move “short-sighted and flawed,” and cautioned that it could inflame what he called a humanitarian crisis at the border. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said it was “foreign policy by tweet” and demonstrated Trump’s ignorance of the funds' purpose.

Several House Democrats were visiting El Salvador when they heard the news. The group, which included Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees, respectively, ripped Trump’s approach in a joint written statement as “entirely counterproductive."

The Trump administration has intensified its argument in recent weeks that a high level of illegal immigration has created a crisis that demands additional resources and changes to existing laws. Trump warned Friday that he would close all legal trade and travel along the southwest border in the coming week unless Mexico steps up enforcement against migrants.

But critics point out that the aid the president will cut is aimed squarely at reducing illegal immigration and illicit trafficking by addressing the dire conditions in the three Northern Triangle region that are driving the northern migration.

Trump's threat to slash aid to Central America isn’t new — he's threatened repeatedly over the last year that he will cut it. But the president's latest pronouncement, made during a visit to Florida on Friday, was accompanied by action from the State Department.

“I've ended payments to Guatemala, to Honduras and to El Salvador,” Trump said Friday. “We were paying them tremendous amounts of money, and we're not paying them anymore because they haven't done a thing for us.”

The aid money — part of an initiative launched by former President Barack Obama — aims to strengthen security and foster development in the three countries, and does not go to the governments directly. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development manage the bulk of the funds, and other agencies, including the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, also receive funding.

POLITICO reported last week that the White House budget office had not advanced a significant portion of the fiscal year 2018 funding amid confusion over Trump’s stance. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dodged questions about the funds' status during a House committee hearing Wednesday.

Following Trump’s announcement, the State Department informed several congressional offices Friday that $450 million in uncommitted funds from a March 2018 spending bill will be redirected to other initiatives and that the department will review already-committed funds from fiscal years 2017 and 2018 to determine whether they can be rerouted to other projects.

“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 State Department spokeswoman told POLITICO. “We will be engaging Congress as part of this process.”

Whether the president can reroute the funding entirely remains unclear, according to three congressional aides familiar with how the process works. A reprogramming request could be held up by lawmakers who oppose the move, for example. Additionally, the administration could face legal challenges if it revokes funds that were already contracted. And backers of the aid may argue that withholding it amounts to illegal presidential impoundment of congressionally-appropriated funds.

Leahy’s office, which takes a lead role overseeing the funding, has directed the State Department to provide a detailed explanation of what it plans to cut and whether there will be exceptions. The department will be required to submit a congressional notification that describes the plan to lawmakers.

One Democratic congressional aide said State was “clearly scrambling to adjust U.S. policy based on [Trump‘s] comments.”

Central American officials publicly grappled with Trump’s decision, which came mere days after DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen traveled to Honduras to sign a security agreement with the three Northern Triangle nations to crack down on human trafficking, among other goals.

The office of the Honduran secretary for foreign affairs said in a statement Saturday that it will continue to promote regional development and security despite “contradictory policies” from the United States. Nayib Bukele, the president-elect of El Salvador, tweeted that he hopes the U.S. will reinstate or increase the funding when he takes office June 1.

Adriana Beltrán, a director with the Washington Office on Latin America, a non-governmental organization that tracks the funding, argued that the cut will worsen conditions in the countries — and potentially cause more people to trek to the U.S.

“It’s a shooting-yourself-in-the-foot policy,” she said of the cuts.