The United States approves the lowest budget for Colombia since 2016

The United States Congress agreed on the final figure for cooperation with Colombia in 2024, which is the lowest since 2016. Despite the decision, the South American country remains the main recipient of resources in the region.

In fact, at a general level There was a reduction in cooperation on the part of the United States of between 5% and 6%. Colombia was above that average, with around 10%, which means a little more than 400 million dollars, money that should have been approved 6 months ago, but due to the deep divisions between Republicans and Democrats, the decision was delayed.

It is worth remembering that in the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, Republican congressman Mario Díaz-Balart was proposing to suspend the allocation of resources for Colombia.

After the approval of the United States budget for Colombia, The disbursement was conditional on the State Department filing a report with the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.where it details the efforts of the South American nation in the anti-narcotics fight to reduce the number of hectares of illicit crops, the policies regarding interdiction, as well as the tasks to confront criminal organizations in the surroundings of the Darién Gap.

Daniel Ávila, ambassador in charge of business of Colombia in the United States, highlighted that there are “more than 400 million dollars approved by Congress or that is in the process of approval in the Congress of this country, which shows the solidity of the bilateral relationship taking into account these global readjustments that are presented.”

“It is not an easy context and, therefore, This indicates the strength of this bilateral relationship that, despite these contexts that arise, we have progress and continuity also of that support that both the administration and the US Congress show to Colombia,” the official added.

The budget approved by the United States Congress is different from the one proposed for Colombia by President Joe Biden, of $413 million, since the resources are for fiscal year 2025, for which the debate has not even begun.