US strips millions in military aid from Europe and Mideast to back Trump-aligned nations in Americas

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

But it also comes as the administration has put particular attention on the Western Hemisphere, aligning deeply with right-wing governments as Trump celebrates a renewal of the 19th century Monroe Doctrine establishing Washington’s dominance in the Americas.

Municipal election

Dillman pitches community connections in school trustee bid

1h ago

2026 municipal elections

Janjua pitches transparency, growth and faster permits in city council bid

1h ago

Municipal election

Thompson seeks third term as Robson Valley trustee

2h ago

Foreign military financing provides recipient countries with U.S. taxpayer dollars to allow them to purchase military equipment from American defense contractors.

The State Department said the funds would be used to “combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal,” adding that the Western Hemisphere has been historically neglected in U.S. military assistance.

“These funds will prevent adversaries from establishing strategic footholds in our hemisphere,” the department said in a veiled jab at China, which has increasingly sought to boost its presence in Latin America.

The shift of money does not eliminate foreign military financing for Tunisia, Iraq, North Macedonia or Slovakia, although the exact amount remaining for those countries was not immediately clear.

The State Department said, though, that the current distribution of financing does “not align with the administration’s prioritization of” the Western Hemisphere.

Matthew Lee, The Associated Press