However, in March 2019 - less than two years into the initiative’s on-the-ground implementation - the Trump Administration suspended most foreign aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. According to the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress, appropriations for the program declined to $685 million in FY 2017, $615 million in FY 2018, $528 million in FY 2019, $533 million in FY 2020 and $506 million in FY 2021.īiden may have been referencing money that Congress authorized for use in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that the Trump administration either reallocated to other initiatives or temporarily suspended in 2019.Īs a January CRS report said: “From FY2016 to FY2020, Congress appropriated more than $3.1 billion to improve security, governance, and socioeconomic conditions in Central America as part of a whole-of-government initiative to address the drivers of irregular migration. It’s true that the annual budget for that initiative declined significantly during Trump’s presidency, but it wasn’t completely “eliminated” or unspent, as Biden said. Strategy for Engagement in Central America,” which was as high as $750 million during the Obama administration in fiscal year 2016. He didn’t do it.”īiden appeared to be referring to funding for the “U.S. What did Trump do? He eliminated that funding. “The way to deal with this problem, and I started to deal with it back when I was … vice president, putting together a bipartisan plan of over $700 million to do the root causes of why people are leaving. “They’re coming because of the circumstances in country, in country,” Biden said of the thousands of people who are illegally entering the U.S. Aid to Central Americaīiden falsely claimed that his predecessor “eliminated” and “didn’t use” more than $700 million in funding to address migration from Central American countries that Biden helped secure when he was vice president. ![]() Biden got it wrong when he said there were five times as many cloture motions “last year alone” than there were “between 19.” There were twice as many motions filed last year than there were from 1917 through 1970.īiden took questions from reporters on March 25.He repeated two familiar talking points on taxes, including the misleading claim that “83%” of the benefits in the GOP’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are “going to the top 1%.” That only becomes the case in 2027 when most of the individual income tax cuts are set to expire but corporate tax cuts remain.Some polls show that but others show a majority opposed the COVID-19 relief legislation. The president said “over 50%” of Republican voters supported the American Rescue Plan Act.Biden said, “We’re sending back the vast majority of the families that are coming.” But in February, 41% of those in a family unit apprehended at the southern border were expelled.There was a significant 63% uptick in unaccompanied children being apprehended from January to February. ![]() The president used the wrong statistics when saying that “nothing has changed” regarding “children” trying to enter the U.S.That didn’t happen, but the Trump administration did reallocate some money and temporarily suspended other funding. Biden claimed that former President Donald Trump “eliminated” over $700 million in aid that Biden helped get for Central American countries. ![]() In his first press conference since being inaugurated 64 days ago, President Joe Biden got some facts wrong:
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