A United state House panel seeks a 50% cut in non-military aid to Colombia, citing “concern over the deterioration of bilateral cooperation… on shared national security objectives and far-right talking points.”

In its 2026 appropriations related to national security and the State Department, the committee led by far-right House Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said it “looks forward to the use of diplomacy, foreign assistance, and targeted tools to bolster allies and hold adversarial governments accountable.”

According to the committee, leaders of Latin American countries that have announced measures to oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza, including Colombia, have been “fueling prejudice against Jewish communities through social media and official government channels or otherwise neglecting their responsibility to protect Jewish communities and other marginalized groups.”

The committee said to be “concerned by rising antisemitism targeting Jewish diaspora communities in Latin America.”

In Colombia, there have been no reported antisemitic incidents involving government officials since the death of fascist former president Laureano Gomez in 1965.

Other reasons to cut non-military aid are the “detrimental policies, erratic behavior, and malign relationships” of the administration President Gustavo Petro that “are at odds with United States security and economic interests.”

The committee claimed there have been “increased reports of drug abuse in Colombia, including at the highest levels of government,” apparently referring to rumors spread by former Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva as part of an attempt to oust Petro.

Additionally, the committee said that the attempted assassination of far-right Senator Miguel Uribe was a demonstration of a “deteriorating security environment and rising political volatility in Colombia.”

Colombia’s congressional coalition asked the US House of Representatives’ Ethics Committee to investigate Diaz’s alleged role in Leyva’s attempts to overthrow the government.

Last but not least, the committee said it is concerned “by reports of due process violations and judicial irregularities in the case against former President Alvaro Uribe,” who could be sent to prison on Monday because he allegedly bribed witnesses to obscure his alleged links to organized crime and paramilitary groups.

The “allegations of unauthorized surveillance, denial of defense rights, and conflicts of interest” made by Uribe’s defense and cited by Diaz’s committee have been rejected by the court.

In total, the committee proposed to reduce aid to Colombia to $208.8 million, $170 million less than this year.

In response, Petro said on Twitter that “Colombia does not cost $170 million like “Colombia is not worth $170 million as it was not worth $13 million when the oligarchy sold Panama.”

We invest more than 170 million dollars helping the US society not to consume so many drugs. What they give us and what we give, would be more efficient if it were invested in drug prevention programs and consumer education.

President Gustavo Petro