Recently, the Trump administration froze funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Its official purpose is to provide assistance to strategic and conflict countries, lead U.S. efforts to combat poverty and humanitarian crises, and contribute to the country’s trade interests by promoting economic growth in developing nations and facilitating their integration into global trade.
This affects many Latin American countries, including Costa Rica. Therefore, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the issue during his visit to the country. Rubio denied that foreign assistance would be eliminated; on the contrary, he stated it would be provided in a way that “makes sense, works for them, promotes the national interest, and benefits their trusted partners and allies.”
Until now, he explained, there had been no certainty about the administration of USAID funds, and when the agency was consulted about them, it refused to provide details. In fact, this resulted in the suspension of several high-level officials from this agency. “Funds were frozen for 90 days, which allows us to review the programs. USAID, in particular, refused to tell us anything. They do not specify what the funds are for, to whom they have been allocated, who has them, or which contractor,” said Rubio.
The Secretary of State further detailed that in many cases, there are up to four contractors to whom the funds are passed, and a very low amount was given to those who actually need it, as the majority of the money was spent on bureaucracy. When referring to Costa Rica’s case, he indicated that the country is a trusted partner and ally.
“It has shown that it has taken assistance from the United States and used it to solve a problem, to help us, and to do so in a way that actually helps the United States, by stopping drugs, stopping criminals, and identifying terrorists. This is foreign assistance that promotes our national interest,” he added.
Rubio emphasized that they will not spend taxpayers’ money on any objectives that do not align with their agenda
