LegiStorm

Summary:

Colombia, a key U.S. security and economic partner in South America, continues to confront illegally armed groups and remains the world’s largest cocaine producer despite having been among the top recipients of U.S. foreign assistance since the FY2000 launch of Plan Colombia, a counternarcotics and security initiative. U.S. assistance helped the Colombian government train and equip its security forces, regain control of territory from armed groups, improve security and rural development, and compel a weakened guerrilla insurgency, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), to negotiate. The 2016 peace accord with the FARC ended a half century of civil conflict and contributed to reductions in indicators of crime and insecurity. Since the FARC’s demobilization and disarmament, other groups have fought for control over lucrative drug trafficking, alien smuggling, and other illicit industries amidst a continued lack of state presence in many regions. In August 2022, Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president and head of the Pacto Histórico (PH, or Historic Pact) political coalition of left-leaning parties, took office for a four-year term. Petro promised to enact bold reforms to combat inequality, promote inclusion, and achieve peace in the country through negotiations with the country’s remaining armed groups. The Petro government has shepherded tax, pension, and agricultural reforms through the legislature, as well as adopted a drug policy and national development plan focused on land redistribution and environmental protection. In October 2024, Petro’s approval rating stood at 34%, considerably lower than when he took office. Observers have attributed Petro’s flagging popular approval to the gradual collapse of his governing coalition, scandals involving his family and cabinet officials, the country’s sluggish economic growth (0.6% in 2023), and rising rural violence. Petro’s Total Peace initiative involving simultaneous negotiations with most armed groups—including the National Liberation Army (ELN)—has stalled. Implementation of the 2016 peace accord with the FARC has also lagged. U.S. Policy For over two decades, Colombia has been a top U.S. ally and security partner in the Western Hemisphere. Over that period, U.S. relations with Colombia expanded from mainly counternarcotics and counterterrorism cooperation to a broad bilateral agenda that includes migration and peace accord implementation, among other topics. Designated by President Biden as a major non-NATO U.S. ally in 2022, Colombia has also solidified its role as a regional leader and implementer of U.S. security assistance programs in other partner countries. Biden Administration officials have asserted that U.S. relations with Colombia remain strong and that bilateral efforts have adapted to include some Petro administration priorities, such as environmental protection and rural development. In May 2024, U.S. and Colombian officials convened the 11th High-Level Dialogue, during which they reaffirmed a shared commitment to bolstering bilateral relations and to working together to address a range of hemispheric challenges. In August 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked the Colombian government for its efforts to mediate a democratic transition in Venezuela. Legislative Action Congress for FY2024 reduced U.S. foreign assistance to Colombia and placed additional conditions on that assistance because of concerns that President Petro’s drug policies have fueled record coca cultivation and that his foreign policy positions, particularly his criticism of Israel, run counter to U.S. interests. The Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-47, Division F), and accompanying explanatory statement designate at least $377.5 million for Colombia, subject to certain restrictions and withholding conditions. That total is $75.6 million less than the Biden Administration’s estimated allocation of $453.1 million for Colombia for FY2023 but still the highest for any country in the Western Hemisphere. Congress is now considering the Administration’s FY2025 request of $413.3 million for Colombia, 8.9% lower than the FY2023 estimated allocation of $453 million. The House-passed version of the FY2025 SFOPs measure (H.R. 8771/H.Rept. 118-554) would provide $208.5 million for Colombia, reducing aid in three accounts by 50% because of President Petro’s “detrimental policies and relationships.” The Senate-introduced version of the measure (S. 4797/S.Rept. 118-200) would provide Colombia with $380 million subject to counternarcotics and human-rights-related withholding requirements.