House Democrats propose reinstating aid to Central America

[Judi Lynn]

JUNE 21, 2019 / 2:50 PM / UPDATED 7 HOURS AGO
Susan Cornwell
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democrats in the House of Representatives on Friday proposed reinstating hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras that was cut off by the Trump administration because thousands of their citizens sought asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico.

The proposal was tucked into a bill to provide $4.5 billion in humanitarian assistance to address the surge of migrants at the southern U.S. border. Republican President Donald Trump has sought that funding for U.S. programs that house, feed, transport and oversee the record numbers of Central American families seeking asylum and straining capacity at migrant shelters in U.S. border cities.

But the Trump administration cut aid to the three Central American countries earlier this week after Trump expressed unhappiness with their immigration policies. Congressional aides said the administration told them some $550 million in aid would be reallocated or suspended.

Democratic lawmakers have said it was cruel to slash aid to countries that are grappling with hunger and crime, and that the move would be counterproductive because it would more likely increase the number of migrants than decrease it. The House bill would require the administration to spend the money, which Congress has already approved.

More:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-aid/house-democrats-propose-reinstating-aid-to-central-america-idUSKCN1TM2KV?rpc=401&

LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142331933

[Karadeniz]

1. But we need a system to insure funds go to help people..enough with local graft.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Looks as if that usually doesn't happen a lot. It usually benefits only officials, themselves,

or their political patrons, and it appears you've probably been aware of it, or suspected.

Here's a good example of how funding gets around, from Colombia:

COLOMBIA: Farm Subsidy Scandal Exposes Corrupt Policies
By Helda Martínez


BOGOTA, Dec 30 2009 (IPS) - The Attorney General’s Office of Colombia is keeping a tight lid on developments in its investigation of 113 million dollars in farm subsidies handed out over the last three years to wealthy families, many of whom have no involvement in the agricultural sector whatsoever.

A total of 87 individuals have been questioned so far, including Ministry of Agriculture officials and recipients of the non-repayable, tax-free subsidies under the Agro Ingreso Seguro (AIS) programme.

Many of these beneficiaries have made sizeable campaign contributions for the re-election of right-wing President Álvaro Uribe to a third term in office – pending the necessary amendment of the country’s constitution – and include model/actress and former Miss Colombia Válery Domínguez.

The scandal of the bogus subsidies, which is also being investigated by the Procuraduría General de la Nación (Office of the Inspector General), broke in September after the publication of an exposé in Cambio magazine.

According to repeated denunciations by peasant and indigenous communities, lawmakers, academics and non-governmental organisations, the magazine revealed, AIS funds have not only been disbursed to wealthy families with close ties to Uribe, but also to right-wing paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.

One of the harshest critics of the Uribe administration’s wrongdoings for many years has been Senator Jorge Robledo, a member of the left-leaning opposition party Alternative Democratic Pole (PDA) and the Fifth Senate Committee, which is responsible for agriculture, the environment and natural resources.

In the heat of the AIS scandal, Robledo cited current Agriculture Minister Andrés Fernández for questioning by the Senate. Fernández replaced former minister Andrés Felipe Arias, a presidential hopeful who has been nicknamed “Uribito” (Little Uribe) for espousing the same political views as the country’s current leader.

More:
http://www.ipsnews.net/2009/12/colombia-farm-subsidy-scandal-exposes-corrupt-policies/


I completely this is closer to the norm than anything else, and that it has been for ages.

Thanks.