PRIORITIES

Trump Administration to Divert Over $40 Million From Central America Aid to Venezuela’s Opposition

The $41.9 million had been designated for Guatemala and Honduras, but instead will go toward backing the Venezuelan opposition.

The Trump administration plans to divert more than $40 million in humanitarian aid meant for Central America to instead support the U.S. backed opposition in Venezuela, according to a document obtained Tuesday by The Los Angeles Times. The $41.9 million had been designated for Guatemala and Honduras, two Central American countries at the center of the United States’ immigration influx. Instead, the money will be used for salaries, travel, communications equipment, technical assistance, and other needs for the Venezuelan opposition, according to a congressional notification from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The July 11 memo comes after the State Department announced in June that it would slash hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras after Trump said the three countries were not doing enough to stem migration.