US reallocates US$52 million in military funding to Latin American countries

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on September 8, 2026 — Photo: Luis Acosta/AFP

The State Department notified the US Congress this Tuesday about the reallocation of funds, totaling US$52 million (about R$267.3 million) in foreign military financing that were destined for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq. Now, the countries that will receive this money will be:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged additional support for those countries as the Trump administration prioritizes the Western Hemisphere in its foreign policy, with an emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Foreign military financing provides recipient countries with resources from U.S. taxpayers so they can purchase military equipment from U.S. defense companies.

The State Department said the resources will be used to "combat narcoterrorism in our own backyard and help continue to ensure the security of the Panama Canal," adding that the Western Hemisphere has historically been overlooked in U.S. military assistance.

"These resources will prevent adversaries from establishing strategic positions in our hemisphere," said the department, in a veiled criticism of China, which has increasingly sought to expand its presence in Latin America.

The transfer of resources does not eliminate foreign military funding earmarked for Tunisia, Iraq, North Macedonia or Slovakia, although the exact amount that will remain available to those countries was not immediately clear.

The State Department said, however, that the current distribution of funding "is not aligned with the administration's priority" for the Western Hemisphere.