U.S. leaders have long understood the importance of secure relationships across Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is a region of both immense opportunities and challenges, where policy decisions have proximate impacts on trade, security, and migration. Foreign assistance is not only key to supporting the United States’ neighbors but also to advancing domestic policy priorities.

 In 2023, the U.S. provided approximately $3.7 billion in foreign aid to Latin American countries - approximately 6% of the federal budget allocated to foreign aid. U.S. foreign assistance in 2023 only represented 1.2% of the overall federal budget of $6.1 trillion.

 The return on investment for this assistance to Latin American countries is immense. These funds bolster democratic governance and human rights, provide alternatives to irregular migration, and support activities to deter the drug trade. Funds supporting food systems and agriculture buttress many of these objectives by providing vulnerable groups with more stable livelihoods and food for their families and also support U.S. trade and commerce policies with Latin America.

 Food aid and agricultural development programs, especially for emergency relief during natural disasters, also contribute to long term economic growth and resiliency,  support U.S. economic and security interests, and reflect longstanding U.S. policy for Latin America. In 1812, President James Madison authorized $50,000 of wheat flour to be shipped to Venezuela to support victims of the 1812 earthquake. This relationship has stood constant ever since.

 In 2023, (the latest year with complete data) the U.S. invested approximately $328 million in food aid and agricultural development in Latin America.

 Recent cuts to these programs not only threaten food security in Latin America, but they also have a ripple effect of consequences for the United States.

The effects on our neighbors

U.S. cuts to food aid in Colombia are a striking example. In 2024, the U.S. provided approximately $64 million in food assistance to Colombia along with another $81 million to UN agencies in Colombia, including the World Food Programme (WFP). This aid supported many small scale farmers and internally displaced Colombians fleeing from the civil conflict and migrants who were escaping authoritarianism and widespread food insecurity in Venezuela.

 However, when the U.S. cut funding for food aid in the first quarter of 2025, countries like Venezuela and Colombia now face even more severe crises – with ripple effects on U.S. farmers, trade, and counter narcotics efforts.

 In 2026, Latin American countries are expected to receive just a fraction of previous U.S. support, leaving vulnerable populations hungry and exacerbating food insecurity. In response to U.S. food aid cuts, some may migrate to other countries in search of stability or may turn to criminal and drug groups for income sources.

 Cuts to agricultural development funds are equally harmful. Studies find significant benefits to regional and U.S. trade from targeted, multi-year investments in agriculture systems.

 Agricultural development initiatives in Latin America have strengthened value chains and trade relationships, made food systems more resilient to natural disasters, encouraged alternatives to illicit coca and opium poppy cultivation, and kept local farmers in their communities – decreasing the need to migrate.

 A strategic U.S. partner for agricultural development is the Inter-American Foundation (IAF). Since 1972 the agency has provided grants to local development initiatives to support conflict prevention and mitigation and boost income generation. Grantees co-invest with the IAF, through monetary and in-kind contributions, doubling the impact of U.S. funds. About a third of the IAF’s annual funding to grantees supported sustainable agriculture and food security.

 One standout grantee, The Center for Culture and Development of Karis, has helped Haitian farmers increase their yields and double their incomes through small loans and technical assistance.

 Just $302,000 in U.S. funds supported over 95,000 Haitians to achieve more reliable incomes and food sources in a country where economic and physical security is increasingly threatened.

 The proposal to completely eliminate the IAF’s budget in FY2026 puts these initiatives and thousands of lives at risk.

The effects on the U.S. and American People

The consequences of cuts to food aid and agricultural development for our neighbors in Latin America - it will cost lives and livelihoods. For those in the U.S., what will these cuts mean?

 American farmers should expect a significant loss in revenues. Every year, American farmers sold around $2 billion in agricultural goods to support USAID food assistance programming. However, a $1.6 billion cut is proposed in the FY2026 budget.

 U.S. goals to reduce migration from Latin American countries to the U.S. will face even more barriers - especially with the increased rates of natural disasters that drive people further into poverty

 U.S. efforts to counter organized crime are likely to face substantial obstacles. Organized criminal groups will likely grow more powerful. In Haiti for example, gangs have already begun to attack food distribution sites where the U.S. once supported food supplies and secure passageways. Increased control over food supply puts even more power in the hands of groups who already control 85% of the capital.

 Many of these illegal groups also have ambitions to join forces with drug trafficking groups in Colombia and Mexico. This could increase security and public health threats for Americans along American borders and across the U.S.

 U.S. support for food aid and agricultural development is more than just meals.

 It is a strategic investment in our regional partners and in our own policy objectives. Food assistance increases incomes and security in our hemisphere. Foreign assistance cuts have the opposite effect.

 Now that Congress has returned to session, legislators must protect the programs that make U.S. policy gains possible.