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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and
December 1, 2023
the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations
Peter J. Meyer
The United States provides foreign assistance to Latin American and Caribbean countries to
Specialist in Latin
support development and other U.S. objectives. U.S. policymakers have emphasized different
American and Canadian
strategic interests in the region at different times, from combating Soviet influence during the
Affairs
Cold War to promoting democracy and open markets, as well as countering illicit narcotics, since

the 1990s. Over the past decade, top U.S. funding priorities for foreign assistance in the region
have included addressing the underlying drivers of migration from Central America, combating

drug production and supporting peace accord implementation in Colombia, and strengthening
security and the rule of law in Mexico. U.S. agencies also have dedicated resources to programs intended to combat
HIV/AIDS and foster stability in Haiti, address security concerns in the Caribbean, and respond to the political and
humanitarian crises in Venezuela and their impact on the broader region. Since 2020, U.S. policymakers have taken steps to
adjust U.S. assistance efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its secondary socioeconomic effects in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
FY2024 Budget Request
The Biden Administration requested nearly $2.5 billion in foreign assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2024
under accounts managed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). That total is
$366.2 million (17.4%) above the amount allocated for the region in FY2022, including supplemental appropriations. The
Administration’s FY2024 budget request also included $52.0 million for the Inter-American Foundation (IAF)—a small,
independent U.S. government agency that supports grassroots development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Stemming irregular migration remains a top Administration priority in the region. The Administration requested $945.8
million to continue implementation of the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America—
$240.9 million (34.2%) more than the FY2022 allocation for Central America. The Administration also requested $51.4
million for a new Americas Partnership Opportunity Fund intended to support migration management throughout Latin
America and the Caribbean. In October 2023, the Administration requested an additional $1.25 billion of emergency
supplemental foreign assistance to respond to irregular migration in the region.
Among other regional priorities in FY2024, the Administration requested $444.0 million for Colombia to support
counternarcotics efforts, peace accord implementation, and the integration of Venezuelan migrants; $291.5 million for Haiti
to restore democratic institutions, improve security, and address health and economic challenges; $111.4 million for Mexico
to strengthen the rule of law and combat illicit drugs; and $64.5 million for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
Legislative Developments
As of December 1, 2023, Congress has not concluded action on FY2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee reported its FY2024 SFOPS bill (H.R.
4665/H.Rept. 118-146) on July 17, 2023, and the bill was passed by the House on September 28, 2023. The Senate
Appropriations Committee reported a separate SFOPS bill (S. 2438/S.Rept. 118-71) on July 20, 2023. Congress has not taken
further action on either bill. It has passed two continuing resolutions (P.L. 118-15 and P.L. 118-22) that largely fund foreign
aid programs in the region at the FY2023 level from October 1, 2023, until February 2, 2024.
Congress may draw from H.R. 4665 and S. 2438 as it considers final FY2024 appropriations. Both measures would direct
funding levels and/or restrictions for certain programs in Latin America and the Caribbean; other programs would be left for
allocation by the Administration, subject to overall enacted appropriations levels. Both bills would provide more funding than
the Administration requested for the CBSI. The measures diverge significantly on Colombia; S. 2438 would provide more
assistance than the Administration requested, and H.R. 4665/H.Rept. 118-146 would not specify a funding level for
Colombia due to concerns about the Colombian government’s policies.
In addition to determining aid levels and objectives for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2024, Members of the 118th
Congress could consider authorization legislation or use their various oversight mechanisms to help guide U.S. foreign
assistance policy in the region.
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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Trends in U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean ...................................................... 2
Biden Administration’s FY2024 Foreign Assistance Budget Request ............................................ 4
Major Foreign Assistance Categories and Accounts ................................................................. 5
Major Country and Regional Initiatives .................................................................................... 7
Inter-American Foundation ...................................................................................................... 11
Emergency Supplemental Request ........................................................................................... 11
Legislative Developments ............................................................................................................. 12
Options for Congress ..................................................................................................................... 16

Figures
Figure 1. Map of Latin America and the Caribbean ........................................................................ 1
Figure 2. U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY1946-FY2021 ......................... 3

Tables
Table 1. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin America
and the Caribbean by Account: FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request ............................................... 6
Table 2. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin America
and the Caribbean by Country or Regional Program: FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request ............ 9
Table 3. Inter-American Foundation Appropriations: FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request ............... 11
Table 4. U.S. Foreign Assistance for Selected Countries and Initiatives:
FY2024 Appropriations Legislation ........................................................................................... 13

Table A-1. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin America
and the Caribbean: FY2022 Actual ............................................................................................ 18
Table A-2. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin America
and the Caribbean: FY2024 Request .......................................................................................... 19

Appendixes
Appendix. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean by Account and
by Country or Regional Program: FY2022 Actual and FY2024 Request .................................. 18

Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 21

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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations

Introduction
Foreign assistance (also referred to as foreign aid in this report) is one of the tools the United
States employs to advance U.S. interests and policy goals in Latin America and the Caribbean.1
Current aid programs reflect the diverse needs of 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 to address 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 foreign
assistance funds for Latin America and the Caribbean and conducts oversight of aid programs and
the executive branch agencies that allocate, program, and administer them.
Figure 1. Map of Latin America and the Caribbean

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

1 For more information on foreign assistance, see CRS Report R40213, Foreign Assistance: An Introduction to U.S.
Programs and Policy, by Emily M. McCabe and Nick M. Brown.
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This report provides an overview of U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean. It
assesses trends in aid to the region; analyzes the Biden Administration’s FY2024 base and
supplemental budget requests for aid administered by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), and the Inter-American Foundation (IAF); and examines
congressional action on FY2024 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
(SFOPS) appropriations. The Appendix provides detailed aid allocations by foreign assistance
account and country or regional program for FY2022 and the FY2024 request (FY2023
allocations are not yet publicly available).
Report Notes
To compare the Biden Administration’s FY2024 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. The foreign assistance accounts examined in this report accounted for 60.3% of the total aid obligated
by all U.S. agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2021 (the most recent year for which comprehensive
data are available).
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. Some countries also receive assistance from other U.S. agencies, such as the Department of
Defense, Mil ennium Challenge Corporation, Peace Corps, and International Development Finance Corporation,
or from multilateral organizations that the United States supports financially, such as the Organization of American
States, Inter-American Development Bank, and Pan American Health Organization. This report examines some of
these assistance sources briefly but otherwise excludes them from the analysis due to data inconsistencies.
Source: ForeignAssistance.gov.
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 FY1946 and FY2021, the United States provided $100.4
billion ($209.9 billion in constant 2021 dollars) of assistance to the region.2 U.S. assistance
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 Latin
America and the Caribbean 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 mid-1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet
Union and the end of the Central American civil conflicts (see Figure 2).

2 These totals 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. The Department of Defense has not yet reported its
final assistance obligations for FY2020 or FY2021. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S.
Department of State, https://foreignassistance.gov/.
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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations

Figure 2. U.S. Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY1946-FY2021
(obligations in constant 2021 dollars)

Source: CRS Graphics, using data from ForeignAssistance.gov.
Notes: Includes aid obligations from all U.S. government agencies, adjusted for inflation. Comprehensive data for
FY2022 and FY2023 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 FY2010. The higher levels of
assistance were partially due to 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 counternarcotics 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, Felipe Calderón, 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. foreign assistance priorities in Latin America and the Caribbean have shifted over the past
decade to respond to periods of development progress in the region as well as subsequent

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.
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setbacks. Between 2002 and 2019, the percentage of people living in poverty in Latin America
decreased from 45.3% to 30.4%, largely due to stronger economic growth and the implementation
of more effective social policies.4 Health and education indicators also improved significantly
during that period. In 2019, the World Bank classified most Latin American and Caribbean
countries as “upper middle income” and a few as “high income” economies.5 Some countries,
such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay, began to provide assistance to
others in the region based on their own development experiences. Although overall U.S.
assistance levels for Latin America and the Caribbean remained fairly stable, the U.S. government
concentrated those resources in fewer countries and sectors due to the changes in the region.
In the past few years, U.S. assistance efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean have expanded
as many countries in the region have seen setbacks in long-term development and new challenges
have emerged.6 Socioeconomic conditions began to stagnate in many Latin American and
Caribbean countries around 2015 amid a decline in global commodity prices. These conditions
deteriorated sharply in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept away more than a decade of
development gains.7 Political conditions also have deteriorated as governments in Venezuela and
Nicaragua have entrenched authoritarian rule, Haiti has been unable to reestablish an elected
government since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and widespread corruption
and violence have eroded the quality of democracy elsewhere in the region. These challenges
have contributed to political unrest and large-scale migration flows throughout Latin America and
the Caribbean.8
Biden Administration’s FY2024 Foreign Assistance
Budget Request9
For FY2024, the Biden Administration requested nearly $2.5 billion of foreign assistance for
Latin America and the Caribbean under accounts managed by the State Department and USAID.
That total is $366.2 million (17.4%) above the total amount allocated for the region in FY2022,
including supplemental appropriations (see Table 1; FY2023 allocations are not yet publicly
available). The Administration also requested $52.0 million for the IAF, a small, independent U.S.
government agency that supports grassroots development in the region (see “Inter-American
Foundation”). In October 2023, the Administration requested an additional $1.25 billion of

4 U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Social Panorama of Latin America and
the Caribbean 2022, November 24, 2022, p. 19.
5 World Bank, “The World by Income and Region,” https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/
the-world-by-income-and-region.html.
6 For more information on recent challenges in the region, see CRS Insight IN12092, Latin America and the
Caribbean: Issues for the 118th Congress, by Peter J. Meyer.
7 ECLAC, Social Panorama of Latin America 2021, January 2022.
8 See, for example, Moisés Naím, “Why Hard-Liners Are Gaining Steam in Latin America,” Politico Magazine, July
12, 2022; and Michael Stott, “Repression and Poverty Trigger Record Migration in the Americas,” Financial Times,
September 11, 2022.
9 Unless otherwise noted, data and information in this section are drawn from U.S. Department of State, Congressional
Budget Justification, Foreign Operations, Appendix 2, Fiscal Year 2024, April 2023; and U.S. Department of State,
Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Supplementary
Tables, Fiscal Year 2024, April 2023. For information on the Administration’s global FY2024 request, see CRS Report
R47579, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2024 Budget and Appropriations, by
Emily M. McCabe and Cory R. Gill.
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emergency supplemental foreign assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean intended to
address irregular migration (see “Emergency Supplemental Request”).
Major Foreign Assistance Categories and Accounts10
The Administration’s FY2024 foreign aid budget proposal requested $970.7 million (39.3% of the
total for Latin America and the Caribbean) through the Development Assistance (DA) account,
which seeks to foster broad-based economic growth and social welfare in low- and middle-
income countries. USAID typically uses DA funding for long-term projects in areas such as
agriculture, democracy and governance, economic reform, education, and environmental
protection. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the Administration proposed a $314.2 million
(47.9%) increase in DA funding for the region, with the majority of the additional assistance
allocated to activities intended to address root causes of migration from Central America and to
restore democratic institutions and support development in Haiti. The request also included
additional funding to advance environmental objectives, such as forest conservation in the
Amazon Basin and climate change resilience in the Caribbean, as well as to support Venezuelan
migrant integration throughout South America.
Another $532.1 million (21.5%) of the Administration’s request for the region would be provided
through the Economic Support Fund (ESF) account, the primary purpose of which is to
promote special U.S. political, economic, or security interests. In practice, ESF programs
generally aim to promote political and economic stability and often are indistinguishable from
programs funded through the DA account, though the State Department rather than USAID makes
ESF policy and program decisions. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the Administration
sought a $30.7 million (6.1%) increase in ESF assistance for the region. Among other changes,
the Administration requested $51.4 million for a new Americas Partnership Opportunity Fund
intended to support migration management throughout the hemisphere and $18.0 million to
implement commitments made at the 2022 Summit of the Americas.11
The Administration requested $309.5 million (12.5% of the total) for the region through the
Global Health Programs (GHP) account. This amount included $190.0 million requested for the
State Department subaccount, primarily to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It also included $119.5
million requested for USAID to combat malaria; support maternal and child health, nutrition, and
family planning programs; and advance global health security activities intended to prevent,
detect, and respond to disease outbreaks. Compared with the FY2022 allocation for the region,
the Administration proposed a $1.3 million (0.7%) reduction in funding for the State Department-
managed subaccount and a $28.0 million (30.6%) increase in funding for the USAID-managed
subaccount. The Administration requested the additional USAID-managed funds primarily to
expand reproductive health programming in Haiti and Guatemala and to implement global health
security programming throughout the hemisphere.
The remaining $658.3 million (26.6%) of the Administration’s FY2024 budget proposal for Latin
America and the Caribbean was requested for security assistance programs, including the
following:

10 For more information on the various foreign assistance accounts and the programs they fund, see CRS Report
R40482, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations: A Guide to Component
Accounts, by Cory R. Gill and Emily M. McCabe.
11 For information on summit commitments, see CRS Insight IN11934, 2022 Summit of the Americas, by Peter J.
Meyer.
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• $536.5 million requested through the International Narcotics Control and Law
Enforcement (INCLE) account for counternarcotics, civilian law enforcement
efforts, and projects intended to strengthen judicial institutions. The
Administration proposed a $5.3 million (1.0%) reduction in INCLE funding for
the region compared with the FY2022 allocation, with reductions in aid to
Colombia, Mexico, and Peru largely offset by increases in aid for Central
America and Haiti.
• $32.1 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 enhance their counterterrorism capacities. The
Administration’s FY2024 NADR funding request for the region was the same as
the FY2022 allocation.
• $16.2 million requested through the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) account to train Latin American and Caribbean military and
civilian security personnel. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the
Administration requested $4.9 million (42.9%) more in IMET funding, spreading
the additional aid among countries throughout the hemisphere.
• $73.5 million requested through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) account
to provide U.S. military equipment and services to partners in the region.
Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the Administration proposed $5.0 million
(6.3%) less in FMF funding for the region, with less aid to Peru, Costa Rica, and
Colombia partially offset by more funding for regional programs.
Table 1. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin
America and the Caribbean by Account: FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request
(millions of current U.S. dollars)
FY2021
FY2022
FY2024
% Change:

(actual)
(actual)
(request)
FY22-FY24
Development Assistance
490.6
656.5
970.7
+47.9%
Economic Support Fund
480.7a
501.4b
532.1
+6.1%
Global Health Programs (USAID)
55.5
91.5
119.5
+30.6%
Global Health Programs (State)
195.0
191.3
190.0
-0.7%
International Narcotics Control and Law
553.0
541.8
536.5
-1.0%
Enforcement
Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism,
31.0
32.1
32.1
—
Demining, and Related Programs
International Military Education and
13.8
11.3
16.2
+42.9%
Training
Foreign Military Financing
76.9
78.5
73.5
-6.3%
Total
1,896.5a
2,104.4b
2,470.7
+17.4%
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2023, May 2022; and U.S. Department of State, Congressional
Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year
2024, April 2023.
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Notes: FY2023 allocations are not yet publicly available. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. USAID
= U.S. Agency for International Development.
a. Sum includes $97.2 mil ion of supplemental assistance appropriated in the American Rescue Plan Act of
2021 (P.L. 117-2).
b. Sum includes $64.0 mil ion of supplemental assistance appropriated in the Additional Ukraine Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-128).
Major Country and Regional Initiatives
Although the Biden Administration requested an overall increase in State Department- and
USAID-managed assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2024, some countries and
regional programs would see larger increases than others and some would see cuts if Congress
adopted the Administration’s budget proposal (see Table 2). Some of the Administration’s top
funding priorities in the region are discussed below.
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. Since FY2010, the CBSI has funded maritime and aerial
security cooperation, law enforcement capacity-building, border and port security, justice sector
reform, and crime prevention programs in the Caribbean.12 The Administration requested $64.5
million for the CBSI in FY2024, $15.5 million (19.4%) less than the FY2022 allocation.
Central America. Addressing the underlying drivers of irregular migration from Central America
to the United States has been a top U.S. policy priority in the region since an unexpected surge of
unaccompanied children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arrived at the U.S. border in
2014. However, specific policy approaches have shifted from one Administration to another. The
Biden Administration developed a U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in
Central America intended to support improved governance, security, and broad-based economic
growth in the subregion.13 The Biden Administration also has allocated increased humanitarian
assistance to Central America intended to stabilize populations with acute needs, in line with its
Collaborative Migration Management Strategy (see text box, “U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to
Central America,” below).14
U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Central America
Since 2020, a series of tropical storms and the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to sharp increases in food
insecurity and other humanitarian challenges in Central America. The Biden Administration has sought to address
these challenges and stabilize populations in Central America as part of its broader Col aborative Migration
Management Strategy. The U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department allocated $272.2
mil ion of humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable populations in Central America and Mexico in FY2021 and
$289.0 mil ion for such purposes in FY2022. FY2023 allocations are not yet available. These assistance funds,
which U.S. agencies have al ocated over the course of each fiscal year from global humanitarian accounts, are not
included in the country or regional totals found in Table 1, Table 2 or the Appendix of this report.
Sources: U.S. Agency for International Development, “El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—Regional
Response,” fact sheets, https://www.usaid.gov/humanitarian-assistance/el-salvador/el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-
regional-response-archive.

12 For more information on the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, see CRS In Focus IF10789, Caribbean Basin
Security Initiative, by Karla I. Rios.
13 White House, U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America, July 2021,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Root-Causes-Strategy.pdf. For more information on U.S.
policy toward Central America, see CRS In Focus IF11151, Central American Migration: Root Causes and U.S.
Policy, by Peter J. Meyer.
14 White House, Collaborative Migration Management Strategy, July 2021, p. 7, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2021/07/Collaborative-Migration-Management-Strategy.pdf.
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For FY2024, the Administration requested $945.8 million to continue implementation of the U.S.
Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America—$240.9 million
(34.2%) more than the FY2022 allocation.15 The Central America request included $124.8 million
for El Salvador; $164.5 million for Guatemala; $136.5 million for Honduras; and a combined
$17.1 million for the other four countries of the isthmus. It also included $341.3 million for
CARSI and $161.7 million for other State Department- and USAID-managed regional programs
in Central America.
Colombia. Colombia has been among the top recipients of U.S. assistance worldwide since the
FY2000 launch of Plan Colombia, a counternarcotics program. The focus of U.S. assistance
efforts has evolved over time, responding to changes in Colombia’s long-running internal conflict
and Colombian government priorities.16 For FY2024, the Administration requested $444.0 million
for Colombia to support ongoing counternarcotics efforts, peace accord implementation,
Venezuelan migrant integration, and forest conservation. The Administration requested $46.3
million (9.4%) less than the FY2022 allocation for Colombia, including a $29.0 million reduction
in INCLE aid due, in part, to the Colombian government’s shift away from coca eradication.
Haiti. The United States has provided Haiti significant aid intended to support the country’s
recovery from recurrent natural disasters and foster long-term stability, with a particular spike in
assistance in the aftermath of a massive 2010 earthquake. Since the 2021 assassination of
President Moïse, Haiti has been mired in interrelated political, security, and humanitarian crises.17
The Biden Administration’s FY2024 request included $291.5 million to help Haiti restore
democratic institutions; improve security conditions; and address health, economic, and
environmental challenges. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the Administration proposed
$54.0 million (22.8%) more for Haiti. With the additional funds, U.S. agencies would seek to
strengthen the police and combat gang influence, address the drivers of irregular migration and
support returnees’ reintegration, and support credible elections, among other activities.
Haiti and the Global Fragility Act
In April 2022, the Biden Administration designated Haiti as a priority country for the Global Fragility Act (P.L. 116-
94 , Division J, Title V), intended to stabilize conflict-affected areas. The Administration released a 10-year plan for
Haiti, as mandated by the act, in March 2023. Haiti is eligible to receive assistance through three funds authorized
by the act: the Prevention and Stabilization Fund (PSF), the Complex Crisis Fund, and the Multi-Donor Global
Fragility Fund. These assistance funds are not included in the country or regional totals found in Table 1 or
Table 2 of this report.
Note: For additional information, see CRS Report R47394, Haiti: Recent Developments and U.S. Policy.
Mexico. 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. Bilateral security cooperation efforts have shifted along with the
priorities of U.S. and Mexican administrations and now are guided by the U.S.-Mexico
Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Heath, and Safe Communities, launched in October

15 These figures are based on amounts allocated to, and requested for, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and State Department- and USAID-managed Central America regional programs.
According to the State Department, the FY2024 request for Central America rises to $981.8 million when centrally
managed funds are included.
16 For more information on U.S. policy toward Colombia, see CRS Insight IN12180, Colombia: Issues for the 118th
Congress and CRS Report R47426, U.S.-Colombia Security Relations: Future Prospects in Brief, by June S. Beittel.
17 For more information on U.S. policy toward Haiti, see CRS Report R47394, Haiti: Recent Developments and U.S.
Policy, by Clare Ribando Seelke and Karla I. Rios.
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2021.18 For FY2024, the Biden Administration requested $111.4 million to support Mexican
efforts to strengthen the rule of law, combat transnational crime, and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from the energy and agriculture sectors. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the
Administration proposed $15.7 million (12.4%) less in aid for Mexico, reflecting a proposed
$16.0 million cut in INCLE aid for the country.
Venezuela. The United States has provided democracy assistance to Venezuelan civil society for
two decades and has increased such assistance over the past five years in response to the
increasingly authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro. The United States also has provided
humanitarian support for those who have fled the country’s humanitarian crisis (see the text box,
“U.S. Assistance to Respond to Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis,” below).19 The Biden
Administration requested $54.0 million for FY2024 to support democratic actors, human rights
advocates, and other civil society organizations; strengthen small businesses; and reduce maternal
and child mortality in Venezuela. Compared with the FY2022 allocation, the Administration
proposed $5.4 million (11.1%) more in assistance for Venezuela.
U.S. Assistance to Respond to Venezuela’s Humanitarian Crisis
According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, an estimated 7.7 mil ion Venezuelan migrants and
refugees have fled the country’s political and humanitarian crisis since 2015. Of these, approximately 6.5 mil ion
are residing in other Latin American and Caribbean countries. From FY2017 through FY2023, the U.S. Agency for
International Development and the State Department committed more than $2.9 bil ion of humanitarian
assistance—including $591.0 mil ion in FY2023—to help countries in the region respond to Venezuelan migrant
and refugee flows, support host communities, and assist those who remain in Venezuela. Colombia, Peru, Ecuador,
and Brazil have been among the top recipients. These assistance funds, which U.S. agencies have allocated over the
course of each fiscal year from global humanitarian accounts, are not included in the country or regional totals
found in Table 1, Table 2, or the Appendix of this report.
Sources: R4V Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela, “Refugees and
Migrants from Venezuela,” November 30, 2023; and U.S. Agency for International Development, “Venezuela
Regional Crisis—Complex Emergency,” fact sheets, https://www.usaid.gov/humanitarian-assistance/venezuela/
venezuela-regional-crisis-archive.
Table 2. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin
America and the Caribbean by Country or Regional Program:
FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request
(thousands of current U.S. dollars)
FY2021
FY2022
FY2024
% Change:

(actual)a
(actual)b
(request)
FY22-FY24
Argentina
700
632
800
+26.6%
Bahamas
200
210
250
+19.0%
Belize
1,250
245
250
+2.0%
Bolivia
4,000
0
0
—
Brazil
27,950
29,781
42,000
+41.0%
Chile
455
434
650
+49.8%

18 For more information on U.S. policy toward Mexico, see CRS Report R42917, Mexico: Background and U.S.
Relations, and CRS In Focus IF10578, U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: From the Mérida Initiative to the
Bicentennial Framework, by Clare Ribando Seelke.
19 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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FY2021
FY2022
FY2024
% Change:

(actual)a
(actual)b
(request)
FY22-FY24
Colombia
478,192
490,337
444,025
-9.4%
Costa Rica
9,225
8,183
600
-92.7%
Cuba
20,000
20,000
20,000
—
Dominican Republic
35,155
46,460
46,545
+0.2%
Ecuador
28,750
45,554
48,600
+6.7%
El Salvador
80790
98,652
124,800
+26.5%
Guatemala
103,849
137,442
164,502
+19.7%
Guyana
200
190
250
+31.6%
Haiti
204,377
237,428
291,455
+22.8%
Honduras
79,902
117,878
136,450
+15.8%
Jamaica
24,446
24,300
11,750
-51.6%
Mexico
158,910
127,107
111,400
-12.4%
Nicaragua
12,592
16,960
15,000
-11.6%
Panama
14,019
12,507
1,225
-90.2%
Paraguay
9,600
4,343
4,500
+3.6%
Peru
98,885
109,134
107,635
-1.4%
Suriname
200
162
250
+54.3%
Trinidad and Tobago
2,999
1,735
350
-79.8%
Uruguay
900
347
400
+15.3%
Venezuela
38,000
48,600
54,000
+11.1%
Barbados and Eastern Caribbean
7,700
24,621
24,000
-2.5%
USAID Caribbean Development
15,800
15,438
17,000
+10.1%
USAID Central America
5,000
35,000
85,178
+143.4%
Regional
USAID South America Regional
15,000
27,000
55,400
+105.2%
USAID Latin America and
45,540
38,697
41,678
+7.7%
Caribbean Regional
State Central America Regional
—
278,000
417,800
+50.3%
State Western Hemisphere
366,909
102,044
201,910
+97.9%
Regional
[Caribbean Basin Security Initiative]
[74,800]
[80,000]
[64,500]
[-19.4%]
Total
1,896,495a
2,104,421b
2,470,653
+17.4%
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2023, May 2022; and U.S. Department of State, Congressional
Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year
2024, April 2023.
Notes: FY2023 allocations are not yet publicly available. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. FY2021
and FY2022 totals each include $5 mil ion appropriated as voluntary contributions to the Organization of
American States. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and State Department regional programs
fund region-wide initiatives, including the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, as well as activities that cross
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borders or take place in non-presence countries. These regional programs provide the vast majority of U.S.
assistance received by some Latin American and Caribbean countries. Prior to FY2022, activities funded through
the State Central America Regional program were funded under the State Western Hemisphere Regional
program.
a. FY2021 sums include some supplemental assistance appropriated in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
(P.L. 117-2).
b. FY2022 sums include some supplemental assistance appropriated in the Additional Ukraine Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-128).
Inter-American Foundation
In addition to State Department- and USAID-managed assistance for the region, the Biden
Administration requested $52.0 million for the IAF for FY2024 (see Table 3). The IAF is an
independent U.S. government agency established through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 (22
U.S.C. §290f) to provide grants and other targeted assistance for grassroots development efforts
in Latin America and the Caribbean. Congress created the agency after conducting a
comprehensive review of previous assistance activities in the region and determining that
programs at the government-to-government level had not promoted significant social and civic
change.20 The IAF is active in 27 countries, including several countries where USAID no longer
has field missions.21 The Administration’s FY2024 request included funding for the IAF to
continue supporting local efforts to address the root causes of Central American migration,
integrate displaced Venezuelans and Nicaraguans into host communities, promote inclusive
economic growth, reduce food insecurity, foster civic engagement, mitigate chronic violence,
provide alternatives to the illicit drug trade, build resilience to natural disasters, and manage
natural resources sustainably.
Table 3. Inter-American Foundation Appropriations: FY2021 Actual-FY2024 Request
(millions of current U.S. dollars)
FY2021
FY2022
FY2023
FY2024
% Change
(actual)
(actual)
(enacted)
(request)
FY23-FY24
38.0
42.0
47.0
52.0
+10.6%
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2023, May 2022; and U.S. Department of State, Congressional
Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year
2024, April 2023.
Emergency Supplemental Request22
In addition to the foreign assistance requested for Latin America and the Caribbean discussed
above, the White House sent an emergency supplemental funding request to Congress in October
2023 that included $1.25 billion of foreign assistance intended to address irregular migration in

20 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Foreign Assistance Act of 1969, Report on H.R.14580 to
Promote the Foreign Policy, Security, and General Welfare of the United States by Assisting Peoples of the World to
Achieve Development Within a Framework of Democratic, Economic, Social, and Political Institutions, and for Other
Purposes, 91st Cong., 1st sess., November 6, 1969, H.Rept. 91-611 (Washington, DC: GPO, 1969), p. 57.
21 Inter-American Foundation (IAF), “Where We Work,” https://www.iaf.gov/where-we-work/.
22 Unless otherwise noted, data and information in this section are drawn from White House, Executive Office of the
President, Office of Management and Budget, “Letter Regarding Critical National Security Funding Needs for
FY2024,” October 20, 2023, p. 69, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Letter-regarding-critical-
national-security-funding-needs-for-FY-2024.pdf (hereinafter: White House, October 2023).
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the region.23 That request modified an August 2023 supplemental request of $782 million for the
same purpose.24
The Administration requested $850.0 million of the supplemental funds for Latin America and the
Caribbean through the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account, intended to address
the humanitarian needs of vulnerable migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The
Administration’s supplemental request adds to a base FY2024 budget proposal that included $3.9
billion in global MRA funds, including an anticipated allocation of $398.0 million of Overseas
Assistance funding for the Western Hemisphere.25 The State Department’s Bureau of Population,
Refugees, and Migration administers the MRA account, often channeling such assistance through
international organizations, such as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the International
Organization for Migration, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
According to the supplemental request, the MRA funds aim to address humanitarian needs in
Latin America and the Caribbean and promote access to regular migration and international
protection pathways. Funds would seek to support partner countries’ migrant regularization and
integration programs and strengthen their capacities to screen migrants for protection needs and
manage migration flows. MRA funds also would be used to establish and operate Safe Mobility
Offices—centers to be located throughout the region to screen and vet potential candidates for
refugee resettlement or other legal pathways to the United States, Canada, Spain, or other
countries.26
The Administration’s FY2024 supplemental request also included $400.0 million of ESF
intended to “support safe, orderly, and humane migration” in the region and “reduce irregular
encounters at the U.S. Southwest border.”27 These funds would be used to expand migrant
integration efforts in selected communities as well as to engage with private sector and
multilateral partners to spur greater investment in such initiatives. The funds also would seek to
“incentivize sustained cooperation” from partner countries hosting Safe Mobility Offices.28
Legislative Developments
As of December 1, 2023, Congress has not yet concluded action on FY2024 SFOPS
appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee reported its FY2024 SFOPS bill (H.R.
4665/H.Rept. 118-146) on July 17, 2023, and the bill was passed by the House on September 28,
2023. The Senate Appropriations Committee reported a separate SFOPS bill (S. 2438/S.Rept.
118-71) on July 20, 2023. Congress has not taken further action on either bill. It has passed two
continuing resolutions (P.L. 118-15 and P.L. 118-22) that largely fund foreign aid programs in the
region at the FY2023 level from October 1, 2023, until February 2, 2024.

23 The emergency supplemental request also included $50.0 million under the State Department’s Diplomatic Programs
account to advance and oversee U.S. migration management initiatives throughout the region.
24 White House, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, “Letter Regarding Critical
Funding Needs for FY2024,” August 10, 2023, pp. 56-58, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/
Final-Supplemental-Funding-Request-Letter-and-Technical-Materials.pdf.
25 U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Foreign Operations, Appendix 2, Fiscal Year 2024,
April 2023, pp. 342-345.
26 Initial Safe Mobility Offices have been established in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala. For more
information, see https://movilidadsegura.org/en/.
27 White House, October 2023.
28 Ibid.
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Congress may draw from H.R. 4665 and S. 2438 as it considers appropriations for the remainder
of the fiscal year. Neither measure would specify comprehensive appropriations levels for every
Latin American and Caribbean country, leaving some allocations to be determined by executive
agencies in consultation with Congress. Nevertheless, the measures would include funding
directives (see Table 4) and/or restrictions for some U.S. initiatives in the region.
Table 4. U.S. Foreign Assistance for Selected Countries and Initiatives:
FY2024 Appropriations Legislation
(millions of current U.S. dollars)

H.R. 4665 and
S. 2438 and
FY2022
FY2023
FY2024
H.Rept. 118-
S.Rept. 118-
(actual)a
(enacted)
(request)
146
71
Caribbean Basin
80.0
82.0
64.5
97.5
82.0
Security
Initiative
Central
704.9b
NA
945.8b
NA
NA
America
Colombia
490.3
487.4
444.0
NA
487.4
Haiti
237.4
NA
291.5
NA
NA
Inter-American
42.0
47.0
52.0
22.5
52.0
Foundation
Mexico
127.1
NA
111.4
NA
NA
Venezuela
48.6
50.0
54.0
50.0
50.0
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2024, April 2023; P.L. 117-328; H.R. 4665; H.Rept. 118-146; S.
2438; and S.Rept. 118-71.
Notes: Final FY2023 allocations are not yet publicly available. NA indicates that comprehensive appropriation
totals are not specified in the bil or report.
a. FY2022 figures include supplemental assistance appropriated in the Additional Ukraine Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-128).
b. These Central America figures are based on amounts allocated to, and requested for, Belize, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and State Department- and USAID-managed Central
America regional programs. According to the State Department, more than $1 bil ion was allocated to
Central America in FY2022; that sum includes humanitarian assistance and other centrally managed funds.
The FY2024 request for Central America totals $981.8 mil ion when centrally managed funds are included.
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. Both H.R. 4665 and S. 2438 would provide more funding
for the CBSI than the Administration requested. H.R. 4665 would provide “not less than” $97.5
million for the CBSI and would direct that funding made available for the initiative above the
FY2023 level “shall be prioritized for countries within the transit zones of illicit drug shipments
toward the United States, that have increased interdiction of illicit drugs, and [that] are most
directly impacted by the crisis in Haiti.” H.Rept. 118-146 would further direct that CBSI funds be
used to provide equipment that Caribbean partners need to combat drug trafficking and
transnational crime. In addition, the report would call on the Secretary of State to consider using
the authority granted under Section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. §2321j) to
transfer excess defense articles to meet such needs. S. 2438 would provide “not less than” $82.0
million for the CBSI.
Central America. Neither measure would stipulate an overall assistance level for Central
America. However, H.Rept. 118-146 would designate $211.7 million of INCLE funds for the
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region, including $37.5 million for Costa Rica, and $15.0 million of DA for democracy programs
in Nicaragua. The report also would allocate $8.5 million of FMF to Costa Rica. H.R. 4665
would require the State Department to withhold 50% of assistance for the central governments of
El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (the Northern Triangle countries) until the Secretary
certifies that those governments are cooperating with the United States to counter transnational
crime and repatriate migrants; taking steps to stem mass migration, combat financial crimes, and
improve the rule of law; and improving business and investment conditions. The bill would
provide more exceptions to the withholding requirement than legislation in prior years, including
for security assistance to combat transnational crime and protect national borders.
S. 2438 would provide $100.0 million for locally led development programs in the Northern
Triangle; $70.0 million to reduce violence against women and girls in Central America; $61.5
million for anti-corruption entities and activities in Central America; and $15.0 million for
democracy programs in Nicaragua. The bill would prohibit FMF for the Northern Triangle
countries and would require the State Department to withhold 60% of ESF and international
security assistance (e.g., INCLE, NADR, IMET) to support the central governments of those
countries until the Secretary of State certifies that those governments have met a series of
conditions related to corruption, human rights, migration, and other congressional concerns. The
bill’s exceptions to the withholding requirement and reprogramming directives would be similar
to those in other SFOPS measures enacted in recent years.
Colombia. The FY2024 SFOPS measures reported in the House and Senate diverge significantly
on Colombia. H.R. 4665 would not designate a funding level for Colombia and would prohibit
the use of any assistance for reparation payments or subsidies outlined in Colombia’s 2016 peace
accord or alternative development projects on properties where illegal substances are grown,
produced, imported, or distributed. H.Rept. 118-146 asserts that the “Committee defers
consideration of funding for Colombia,” due to concerns about the current Colombian
government, but “will continue to review events and policies as the appropriations process moves
forward.”
S. 2438 would provide $487.4 million for Colombia—$43.4 million more than the Administration
requested for FY2024. The bill would designate “not less than” $40.0 million of the total aid to
support activities intended to improve rural security in municipalities with high levels of illicit
activities, including coca production. Similar to prior SFOPS measures, S. 2438 would require the
State Department to withhold 20% of INCLE aid to Colombia until the Secretary of State certifies
that the Colombian government is implementing certain counternarcotics policies and to withhold
20% of FMF and 5% of INCLE to Colombia until the Secretary certifies that the Colombian
government has met certain human rights conditions. Prior to obligating any funds, S.Rept. 118-
71 would require the Secretary of State, in coordination with the USAID Administrator, to submit
a report to the Appropriations Committees on the Colombian government’s counternarcotics
strategy and how U.S. assistance would support both implementation of that strategy and U.S.
national interests.
Haiti. Although neither measure would specify a comprehensive appropriation level for Haiti,
both measures include some funding directives. H.Rept. 118-146 would direct that “not less than”
$20.0 million of ESF be made available to establish maternal and neonatal care hospital units
within 10 kilometers of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border. S.Rept. 118-71 would designate
$20.0 million to support rural medical care, $8.5 million for reforestation efforts, and “not less
than” $5.0 million to help meet the sanitary, medical, and nutritional needs of Haitian prisoners.
The report also recommends “not less than” the FY2023 allocation for law enforcement programs
for Haiti.
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Both bills would require the State Department to withhold aid to the Haitian government until
certain conditions have been met. Prior to the release of funds, H.R. 4665 would require the
Secretary to certify that Haiti has held credible elections and that it is in the national interest of
the United States to provide assistance. S. 2438 would require the Secretary to certify that a new
democratically elected government has taken office or a broadly representative transitional
government is in place and that it is in the national interest of the United States to provide
assistance. Both bills would include exceptions to the withholding requirement for democracy
and health programs, disaster relief and recovery, and anti-gang police and justice sector
activities.
Inter-American Foundation. Whereas S. 2438 would fully fund the Administration’s $52.0
million request for the IAF, H.R. 4665 would provide $22.5 million for the agency. H.Rept. 118-
146 would encourage USAID to coordinate its local civil society investments with the IAF and
would encourage the IAF to increase its focus on the Caribbean and Latin American countries
where USAID has less of a presence.
Mexico. Neither S. 2438 nor H.R. 4665 would specify a comprehensive appropriation level for
Mexico; however, both measures would place conditions on certain types of assistance. H.R.
4665 would require the State Department to withhold 15% of international security assistance
(e.g., INCLE, NADR, IMET, FMF) for Mexico until the Secretary certifies that the Mexican
government has taken steps to reduce the amount of fentanyl arriving at the United States-Mexico
border and to dismantle transnational criminal organizations. The bill, as amended by the House
prior to passage (H.Amdt. 466), also would prohibit the obligation or expenditure of ESF
assistance for Mexico. H.Rept. 118-146 would direct the State Department and USAID to
prioritize assistance activities in Mexico that strengthen the capacity of Mexican judicial and
security institutions to combat crime, especially crime associated with fentanyl and other
narcotics trafficking.
S. 2438 would prohibit the obligation of INCLE assistance for the Mexican government until the
Secretary of State submits a report to the Committees on Appropriations assessing the extent to
which during the past two years the Mexican government has supported joint counternarcotics
operations, intelligence sharing with U.S. counterparts, efforts to degrade transnational criminal
organizations in Mexico, and the extradition of criminals sought by the United States. S.Rept.
118-71 would require the Secretary to submit a second report to the Committees on
Appropriations prior to the obligation of INCLE funds, assessing the extent to which the Mexican
government is addressing certain human rights issues and the extent to which U.S. assistance has
supported those objectives.
In addition to any assistance provided for Mexico, S. 2438 would provide “not less than” $125.0
million for programs to counter the flow of fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, and other synthetic
drugs and their precursor materials from the People’s Republic of China to the United States,
including through other countries and across the United States-Mexico border.
Venezuela. H.R. 4665 and S. 2438 each would designate $50.0 million of ESF for democracy
programs in Venezuela and would direct U.S. agencies to continue providing support to other
Latin American and Caribbean countries hosting Venezuelan migrants and refugees. H.R. 4665
also would require the State Department to withhold 50% of funds for election-related activities
until the Secretary of State certifies that such elections allow for participation from the
Venezuelan diaspora and are open to credible international observation. Neither bill would
specifically fund the Administration’s $4.0 million GHP request for Venezuela.
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Options for Congress
The COVID-19 pandemic eroded more than a decade of development gains in Latin America and
the Caribbean, and many countries have yet to fully recover. This deterioration in living
conditions has contributed to increased political instability and irregular migration throughout the
Western Hemisphere. The Biden Administration asserted in its National Security Strategy that
there is a “direct link between the region’s prosperity and security and that of our own.”29
Congressional decisions regarding foreign assistance appropriations will help determine how the
United States responds to challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean and the relative
prioritization of U.S. objectives in the region. Congress also could help guide U.S. foreign
assistance policy in the region by enacting authorization legislation or using its various oversight
mechanisms.
Appropriations. Eyeing the expiration of P.L. 118-22 on February 2, 2024, Members may
conclude action on FY2024 SFOPS appropriations, pass another short-term continuing resolution
to maintain FY2023—or alternative—funding levels until a long-term agreement can be reached,
enact a long-term continuing resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year, or take no action.
Such actions also could include consideration of the Administration’s emergency supplemental
appropriations request. A final FY2024 SFOPS bill would allow Congress to alter foreign
assistance funding priorities, directives, and reporting requirements for Latin America and the
Caribbean to reflect changes in the region and in U.S. policy over the past year. It also would
provide clarity to U.S. agencies on funding levels as they plan and implement activities.
Continuing resolutions would be less likely to modify funding levels or policy toward the region
but could keep existing programs running in the absence of congressional agreement on potential
changes.
Authorizations. In addition to appropriating assistance for Latin America and the Caribbean,
Congress could shape longer-term U.S. foreign assistance policy toward the region with
authorization legislation. Although Congress has not enacted a comprehensive foreign assistance
authorization since 1985 (P.L. 99-83), it occasionally has authorized specific aid programs or
initiatives or has passed legislation mandating government strategies or establishing sectoral
priorities. In the 118th Congress, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has reported the
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act (S. 841), which would authorize $82.0
million to be appropriated for the CBSI annually in FY2023 through FY2027 and would establish
specific objectives, priorities, and reporting requirements for the initiative; a similar measure
(H.R. 1802) has been introduced in the House. Another bill reported by the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, the United States Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act (S. 797), would
direct the Secretary of State to develop a multiyear strategy to combat illicit gold mining in the
Western Hemisphere and would authorize $10.0 million to be appropriated to the State
Department to implement the strategy. Other measures introduced in the first session of the 118th
Congress (e.g. H.R. 3194 and H.R. 3599) would authorize funding and/or certain foreign
assistance activities in Central America.
Oversight. Beyond legislation, Congress could consider whether or not to exercise increased
oversight of U.S. assistance programs in Latin America and the Caribbean and of the executive
branch agencies that administer those programs. The 118th Congress has held hearings on the
Biden Administration’s FY2024 SFOPS budget request for Latin America and the Caribbean as
well as U.S. policy toward particular countries, such as Colombia and Haiti. If Congress chooses
to pursue increased oversight of U.S. assistance policies, committees could hold additional

29 White House, National Security Strategy, October 2022, p. 40.
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hearings and Members could conduct factfinding missions to the region to assess major U.S.
initiatives, such as the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central
America; the CBSI; and the U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Heath, and
Safe Communities. Such efforts could examine the extent to which those initiatives are meeting
their stated objectives and what changes, if any, could make them more effective.
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Appendix. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America
and the Caribbean by Account and by Country or
Regional Program: FY2022 Actual and FY2024
Request
Table A-1. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin
America and the Caribbean: FY2022 Actual
(millions of current U.S. dollars)
GHP-
GHP-

DA
ESF
USAID
State
INCLE NADR IMET
FMF
Total
Argentina
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.6
—
0.6
Bahamas
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
0.2
Belize
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
0.2
Brazil
25.0
—
4.0
—
—
—
0.8
—
29.8
Chile
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.4
—
0.4
Colombia
80.0 147.0a
9.0
2.9
189.0
21.0
1.5
40.0
490.3
Costa Rica
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.7
7.5
8.2
Cuba
—
20.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
20.0
Dominican Republic
21.7
3.0a
—
21.3
—
—
0.5
—
46.5
Ecuador
27.0
—
—
—
13.3
—
0.3
5.0
45.6
El Salvador
84.0
—
4.0
10.3
—
—
0.4
—
98.7
Guatemala
85.5
20.0a
19.0
12.6
—
—
0.4
—
137.4
Guyana
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
0.2
Haiti
59.0
20.5a
24.5
103.1
30.3
—
0.1
—
237.4
Honduras
95.0
10.0a
5.0
7.5
—
—
0.4
—
117.9
Jamaica
6.5
—
4.0
13.2
—
—
0.6
—
24.3
Mexico
4.0
56.8
—
—
64.0
1.2
1.2
—
127.1
Nicaragua
15.0
—
—
2.0
—
—
—
—
17.0
Panama
—
—
—
11.3
—
0.5
0.7
—
12.5
Paraguay
4.0
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
4.3
Peru
45.7
—
6.0
2.0
47.8
1.0
0.6
6.0
109.1
Suriname
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
0.2
Trinidad and Tobago
—
—
—
1.4
—
—
0.3
—
1.7
Uruguay
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
0.3
Venezuela
—
40.0
5.0
3.6
—
—
—
—
48.6
Barbados and
14.3
10.0a
—
—
—
—
0.4
—
24.6
Eastern Caribbean
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GHP-
GHP-

DA
ESF
USAID
State
INCLE NADR IMET
FMF
Total
USAID Caribbean
8.9
6.5
—
—
—
—
—
—
15.4
Developmentb
USAID Central
33.0
2.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
35.0
Americab
USAID South
27.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
27.0
Americab
USAID Latin
21.0
6.7
11.0
—
—
—
—
—
38.7
America and
Caribbeanb
State Central
—
111.0
—
—
155.0
2.0
—
10.0
278.0
America
State Western
—
43.0
—
0.2
42.4
6.5
—
10.0
102.0
Hemisphereb
[Caribbean Basin
[—] [35.0]
[—]
[—]
[35.0]
[—]
[—] [10.0]
[80.0]
Security Initiative]b
Total
656.5 501.4a
91.5
191.3
541.8
32.1
11.3
78.5 2,104.4a
Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2024, April 2023; and “Explanatory
Statement Submitted by Ms. DeLauro, Chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, Regarding the House
Amendment to H.R. 2471, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022,” Congressional Record, vol. 168, no. 42—
Book IV (March 9, 2022), p. H3007.
Notes: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. DA = Development Assistance; 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 = U.S. Department of State; USAID = U.S. Agency for
International Development.
a. ESF figures for noted countries include a combined $64.0 mil ion of supplemental assistance appropriated in
the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-128). ESF total includes $5.0
mil ion appropriated as a voluntary contribution to 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 non-presence countries. These regional programs provide the majority of U.S.
assistance received by some Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Caribbean Basin Security
Initiative is funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program.
Table A-2. State Department- and USAID-Managed Foreign Assistance to Latin
America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Request
(millions of current U.S. dollars)
GHP-
GHP-

DA
ESF
USAID
State
INCLE NADR IMET FMF
Total
Argentina
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.8
—
0.8
Bahamas
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
0.3
Belize
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
0.3
Brazil
35.0
—
6.0
—
—
—
1.0
—
42.0
Chile
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.7
—
0.7
Colombia
103.0
122.0
9.0
—
160.0
10.0
2.0
38.0
444.0
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GHP-
GHP-

DA
ESF
USAID
State
INCLE NADR IMET FMF
Total
Costa Rica
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.6
—
0.6
Cuba
—
20.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
20.0
Dominican Republic
21.9
—
4.0
20.0
—
—
0.7
—
46.5
Ecuador
27.0
—
—
—
15.0
1.0
0.6
5.0
48.6
El Salvador
119.0
—
5.0
—
—
—
0.8
—
124.8
Guatemala
138.7
—
25.0
—
—
—
0.8
—
164.5
Guyana
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
0.3
Haiti
113.2
—
33.0
100.0
45.0
—
0.3
—
291.5
Honduras
129.7
—
6.0
—
—
—
0.8
—
136.5
Jamaica
6.0
—
5.0
—
—
—
0.8
—
11.8
Mexico
—
60.7
—
—
48.0
1.0
1.7
—
111.4
Nicaragua
15.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
15.0
Panama
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
0.7
—
1.2
Paraguay
4.0
—
—
—
—
—
0.5
—
4.5
Peru
55.0
—
8.5
—
41.3
2.0
0.8
—
107.6
Suriname
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.3
—
0.3
Trinidad and Tobago
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.4
—
0.4
Uruguay
—
—
—
—
—
—
0.4
—
0.4
Venezuela
—
50.0
4.0
—
—
—
—
—
54.0
Barbados and Eastern
20.5
—
2.5
—
—
—
1.0
—
24.0
Caribbean
USAID Caribbean
17.0
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
17.0
Developmenta
USAID Central
85.2
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
85.2
Americaa
USAID South
55.4
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
55.4
Americaa
USAID Latin America
25.2
5.0
11.5
—
—
—
—
—
41.7
and Caribbeana
State Central
—
167.5
—
43.6
191.2
5.0
—
10.5
417.8
Americaa
State Western
—
106.9
—
26.4
36.0
12.6
—
20.0
201.9
Hemispherea
[Caribbean Basin
[—] [28.0]
[—]
[—]
[29.0]
[—]
[—]
[7.5]
[64.5]
Security Initiative]a
Total
90.7
532.1
119.5
190.0
536.5
32.1
16.2
73.5 2,470.7
Source: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justification, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and
Related Programs, Supplementary Tables, Fiscal Year 2024, April 2023.
Notes: Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. DA = Development Assistance; ESF = Economic Support
Fund; GHP = Global Health Programs; FMF = Foreign Military Financing; IMET = International Military Education
and Training; INCLE = International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement; NADR = Nonproliferation, Anti-
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U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: FY2024 Appropriations

terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs; State = U.S. Department of State; USAID = U.S. Agency for
International Development.
a. USAID and State Department regional programs fund region-wide initiatives as well as activities that cross
borders or take place in non-presence countries. These regional programs provide the majority of U.S.
assistance received by some Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Caribbean Basin Security
Initiative is funded through the State Western Hemisphere Regional program.



Author Information

Peter J. Meyer

Specialist in Latin American and Canadian Affairs



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Congressional Research Service
R47721 · VERSION 7 · UPDATED
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