Voa | USAID funds for Venezuela multiplied 26 times in the last decade, according to official records

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) went from contributing 8 million dollars to Venezuela in 2014 to assign 211 million dollars last year. It was the sixth country of America with more resources for the agency.

By voa news

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID in English) multiplied its funds assigned for Venezuela between 2014 and 2024, with special emphasis on humanitarian aid and promotion of democracy, according to official reports published by the US federal government.

The USAID, whose work was arrested this week by the administration of President Donald Trump, allocated Venezuela $ 8.09 million in 2014, in the first year of Nicolás Maduro’s government, according to the records of US foreign assistance.

After a gradual increase in its contributions to Venezuela, the USAID came to officially assign some 211.02 million dollars to the South American country last year, in the context of presidential elections designed as a solution to the political crisis of the South American country and that Maduro officially won between fraud complaints.

Of that amount assigned, the agency that manages the US foreign aid programs disbursed until last December 19, about 186 million dollars.

According to foreign assistance data, the US contribution in Venezuela was exclusively economic and non -military, as it happened in other nations of the Western hemisphere, such as Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru and Brazil.

Most of those funds of 2024, about 132.3 million dollars, were allocated to humanitarian assistance.

Some 33.1 million dollars were invested in a category described as «democracy, human rights and governance», while 14.55 million dollars were allocated to the health sector in Venezuela, according to records.

USAID entered restructuring This week by order of President Trump, in the midst of strong questions to the destiny of his millionaire resources.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, assumed the interim direction of the USAID and described the agency as «indifferent» to the guidelines of the Congress and the US presidency.

In his opinion, he acted as «a global charity separated from national interest.» He stressed that it manages funds from US taxpayers.

Elon Musk, leader of the newly created government efficiency department (Doge in English) and who has granted him power to reform the federal government, He called Usaid as «a criminal organization» And he considered that «it’s time to die.»

Between 2014 and 2024, the USAID allocated 1,128.68 million dollars for Venezuela, according to reports published in the foreign assistance of the US government.

Dozens of governments of the western world, including the United States, have denounced the progressive deterioration of democracy and the serious violation of fundamental rights against the population in Venezuela, including the commission of crimes against humanity.

Growth help

The contributions of the United States to different causes in Venezuela increased since 2018, a year in which different federal agencies, including the USAID and the State Department, allocated a total of 25 million dollars.

Before, between 2001 and 2017, amounts were disbursed for Venezuela that ranged from a minimum of 4.2 million dollars (2011) and 19 million dollars (2008) through different agencies and dependencies of the US government.

That aid climbed 73 million dollars in 2019, the year in which the US ignored Maduro as legitimate president and supported the opposition parliamentary leader Juan Guaidó as such.

A year later, in 2020, the contributions of different federal units of the US, but essentially of the USAID, increased to 163.3 million dollars. In 2021, they rose to 197.6 million dollars; and in 2022 they rose to 209.4 million.

Maduro has criticized for years the sending of those resources from the United States and has questioned his humanitarian purpose, denouncing its use for political objectives. This week, he said that his opponents stole a good part of those funds.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Parliament and Delegate of Maduro for political negotiations, related the USAID on Tuesday with the US Central Intelligence Agency and accused her of financing destabilization plans through Oenegés.

Venezuelan government opponents, such as the former ambassador to the US, Carlos Vecchio, have denied those accusations and have assured that they never handled those resources.

Mark Green, administrator of the USAID between 2017 and 2020, said in 2019, during the first presidency of Donald Trump, that USA was «ready» to help rebuild Venezuela «after the devastation of the crisis produced by Maduro.»

USAID in Latin America

Venezuela is the sixth American country that received more aid from the United States in 2023, the last year with complete financial reports of US foreign assistance.

Colombia led that assigned aid list, with 740 million dollars, and Curacao was the country that had less US assistance in the region ($ 3,100).

On average, American nations received 90 million dollars from the US, according to federal government reports.

In 2023, the USAID allocated 205.8 million dollars of the 208.5 million provided by the United States Government for Venezuela. The State Department contributed the rest: 2.75 million dollars.

Most of those funds invested by the USAID in Venezuela two years ago, about 147.8 million dollars, were used in humanitarian aid. That money was contributed through partners, such as United Nations Agencies, the Pan -American and Oenegés Development Fund, according to official information.

Part of the main activities financed with these resources in 2023 were the «Venezuelan human rights activity», with 6.6 million dollars, and «the strengthening of civil society», with 6.39 million dollars.

In addition, 18 of the 37 million dollars assigned that year by the USAID for «governance and civil society» in Venezuela were allocated to «democratic participation and civil society» and 7.1 million to «media and the media and the free information flow ”.