Key provision will expedite assistance to Central America through FY19 appropriations bill
Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON — Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) helped secure $527.6 million in the fiscal year 2019 appropriations package to address the root causes of migration to the U.S.-Mexico border; $110 million to help Mexico fight drug trafficking and violence, including $10 million to help secure its southern border with Guatemala and Belize; and language directing the Department of State to expedite foreign assistance to Central America—particularly the three “Northern Triangle” countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The FY19 foreign assistance appropriations bill was included in a seven bill appropriations package that also included the agriculture; transportation and housing; financial services; commerce, justice and science; homeland security; and interior and environment spending bills. The legislation was the product of a bipartisan, bicameral Conference Committee, which Rep. Cuellar was appointed to, and was enacted into law on February 15, 2019. The law funds the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year.
“Until conditions improve in these countries, the region will continue to be a major transit corridor for illicit drugs and a significant source of migration to the U.S.,” said Congressman Cuellar. “We continue to see the devastating results in our country, as a record number of individuals, many of which are unaccompanied minors, and families are forced to flee their countries to seek refuge in America.”
“I have worked hard to secure funding to address these issues in Central America, but not all of this critical funding is getting to its destination. As of last year, nearly $800 million of appropriated funds had not been disbursed by the State Department. This is simply unacceptable. We have done our jobs as appropriators by making sure these countries are given the assistance they need. Now the State Department needs to move faster in implementing the funding levels and strategy necessary to meet U.S. objectives, which is exactly what my language in the FY19 appropriations bill is intended to do.”
In 2015, the Congressman and members of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Committee first secured $750 million for Central America to address turmoil in Central American countries. However, the State Department has not allocated this money quickly, contributing to the increase in the number of individuals and families who have migrated from Central American countries, as families are forced to flee their countries to seek refuge in America. Children often arrive unaccompanied or, under the Trump Administration, have been separated from their parents at the border.
As of February 2019, there have been 318,407 total apprehensions/inadmissibles on the southwest border, 163,087 of which have been family units or unaccompanied minors. This is almost double the number from the last fiscal year during the same time frame: 187,097 total apprehensions/inadmissibles on the southwest border, 48,601 of which were family units or unaccompanied minors. In response to this high influx, President Trump announced that he would close down the border and cut off aid to Central America.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Cuellar believes that securing adequate foreign assistance for Central American countries will help promote prosperity, improve security, and strengthen governance. Specifically, the language directs the State Department to submit its foreign assistance spending plan for Central America and to take steps to ensure that Central America receives the funds the Appropriations Committee has allocated within 60 days of the bill’s enactment.
The Congressman’s language in the FY19 bill will ensure that the money directed to Central American countries to combat corruption, violence, and poverty is actually available for use in a timely manner, addressing instability at its root.
Other foreign aid and operations wins Congressman Cuellar secured include:
- $700,946,000 for Educational and Cultural Exchange programs, $54 million increase from FY18;
- Language and funding to continue support of special academic, professional, and cultural exchange programs in Mexico and Central America;
- $45,000,000 for Mexico Economic Support Fund;
- $1,500,000 for International Military Education and Training for Mexico;
- $5,000,000 for Mexico under the Foreign Military Financing program;
- Language directing the Department of State to use
funding to support justice reform, promote good governance, promote human rights, implement crime and violence prevention programs, and facilitate United States-Mexico trade and investment; - $32,100,000 in assistance for Costa Rica ($2 million increase from FY18);
- Language highlighting the importance of providing educational programs to underserved populations in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- $265,000,000 for microenterprise and microfinance development programs, including in Mexico and Central America;
- $250,060,000 for International Broadcasting Operations Voice of America, which supports fighting propaganda abroad; and
Congressman Cuellar added, “I want to thank State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Rogers for including this important funding and provision in the bill. I would also like to thank my fellow appropriators for their hard work on getting this legislation passed.”
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