Torres Statement on President Trump’s Decision to End Foreign Assistance to Central America
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (D-CA) released the following statement after President Donald Trump's decision to end all foreign assistance to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador:
"I support the suspension of assistance, especially security assistance, to individual governments in the Northern Triangle. Congress has placed a very strong set of conditions on our foreign aid to these governments, and we should hold them accountable when those conditions are not met. What President Trump is trying to do is very different: he wants to punish the people of these countries for the failures of their governments.
"Doing so would undermine the many years of hard work by diplomats and aid workers and would allow hundreds of millions of tax dollars in taxpayer funds already spent in the region to go to waste. It would almost certainly drive a new and larger wave of migration to our border.
"Let's be clear. This is not about payments to the central governments of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. President Trump is threatening to end many non-governmental assistance programs that have proven effective at reducing malnutrition, helping young people find jobs, and making neighborhoods safer.
"Congress, not the executive branch, is responsible for deciding how and where we spend our foreign assistance dollars. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will do everything in my power to stop this reckless and foolish plan from moving forward."
Torres is a member of the House Appropriations and Rules Committees.
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