In addressing the root causes of migration, building allies, developing markets and advancing U.S. interests, the Inter-American Foundation provides the best dollar-for-dollar return on U.S. investment in Latin America. Yet the Trump administration wants to end it.
An independent agency of the U.S. government, the IAF has funded local development projects throughout Latin America and the Caribbean since its creation in 1969. The Trump administration’s budget proposes shutting it down to save a mere $22.5 million in appropriations this year. The administration’s budget would cut funding to the IAF to just $4.6 million in the 2018 fiscal year, with nothing for 2019.
Wiping the IAF out would abandon American allies and friends in the region and hurt the more than 325,000 people in 20 countries that benefit from its programs. Many of those people are working on the front lines of U.S. interests in Latin America, helping stem migration, reducing drug production and expanding export markets.