Trump administration redirects US military aid from Europe and Middle East to Latin America

The State Department notified Congress late Wednesday that the funds would instead go to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, three US officials told the newspaper.

Part of the money - funding originally intended for Slovakia and North Macedonia - came from a 2022 supplemental package passed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Congress intended the funds to support countries affected by the war and encourage them to replace Russian military equipment, particularly after transferring older weapons to Ukraine.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had placed a hold on the transfer.

In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they accused the administration of violating statutory requirements by proceeding with the reallocation.

“Both chambers of Congress provided these funds for a very specific purpose: supporting Ukraine and our European allies in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion,” they wrote.

The State Department defended the move, saying shifting funding from Europe and the Middle East to the Western Hemisphere was consistent with the administration’s National Security Strategy. It said the money would be used to combat drug trafficking, secure the Panama Canal and counter adversaries’ military influence in the region.

The department did not address the lawmakers’ allegation that the reallocation violated statutory requirements.