Overview
- The State Department notified Congress Tuesday that it will reprogram $52 million in Foreign Military Financing from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
- Officials said the funds will be used to combat narcoterrorism and to help secure the Panama Canal, and they framed the shift as intended to prevent adversaries from establishing footholds in the Western Hemisphere.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio toured Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged increased U.S. support, a visit officials cited as part of the policy push toward the region.
- The reprogramming does not fully end assistance to the four donor countries and exact remaining amounts were not disclosed, but experts warn the move could erode trust with NATO and other traditional allies over time.
- The change reflects a broader administration strategy to prioritize the Western Hemisphere by using FMF — U.S. funds that let partners buy American military equipment — a step that could deepen ties with right-leaning governments in Latin America and raise risks of U.S. arms being used domestically or stoking regional tensions.