WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Joaquin Castro of San Antonio has sent a letter to the White House expressing strong opposition to the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate the Inter-American Foundation.
Castrol, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said eliminating the Inter-American Foundation would end lifesaving and stabilizing development work in Latin America and the Caribbean. He said the IAF has long earned bipartisan praise for addressing the root causes of forced migration in the Americas.
“The IAF plays a crucial role in promoting U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean by supporting community-driven development, fostering economic growth, and strengthening democratic governance,” Castro said. “Moreover, the IAF is a statutorily authorized independent entity, supported by repeated bipartisan appropriations, and its elimination cannot be effectuated by executive action alone.”
Congress established the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) in 1969 to support community-driven development, economic growth, and democratic governance in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2024, the Republican-controlled Congress appropriated $47 million for IAF programming.
On February 19, President Trump issued an executive order to effectively eliminate the Inter-American Foundation and other foreign development organizations, including the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).
Castro’s letter was co-signed by Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22), ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51),ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee, Senator Tim Kaine (VA), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human, Rights, & Global Women’s Issues, and Senator Cory Booker (NJ), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy.
“Eliminating this agency – or reducing its activities in an effort that would effectively eliminate it – would undermine U.S. leadership in the region and create a vacuum that adversarial powers would exploit to expand their influence and undermine congressional intent. We urge you to reconsider this action and respect the statute that governs the Inter-American Foundation’s existence. If your administration believes changes to the IAF’s mission or funding levels are necessary, such proposals must be submitted to Congress for legislative consideration, as required by law,” the representatives and senators wrote.
Here is a copy of the letter:
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
February 24, 2025
We write to express serious concerns with the proposed efforts to effectively eliminate the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) as outlined in your February 19, 2025, Executive Order, "Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy." The IAF plays a crucial role in promoting U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean by supporting community-driven development, fostering economic growth, and strengthening democratic governance. Moreover, the IAF is a statutorily authorized independent entity, supported by repeated bipartisan appropriations, and its elimination cannot be effectuated by executive action alone.
An Act of Congress, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969, established the IAF, and it has operated for 56 years as a vital part of the United States’ efforts to engage with the people of the Western Hemisphere.
Specifically, 22 U.S.C. § 290f(e) of this statute explicitly states that the Foundation "shall have perpetual succession unless sooner dissolved by an Act of Congress." This unambiguous language makes it clear that only an act of Congress—not an executive action—can dissolve or eliminate the IAF. Any attempt to unilaterally dismantle the Foundation through executive action violates the law and exceed the constitutional limits of executive authority.
Furthermore, the statutory functions of the IAF are clearly defined and must continue as required by law. Under 22 U.S.C. § 290f(b), the IAF is tasked with, in cooperation with private, regional, and international organizations, strengthening U.S. ties with the Western Hemisphere, international development efforts, civil society inclusion, and democratic institutions.
These functions are not discretionary. They are legally required by the Congress. Your Executive Order cannot override this obligation. Any efforts to reduce the size or scope of the IAF as described in the executive order and any subsequent direction to IAF raises serious concerns that these statutorily required functions of the IAF may be violated.
In order to fulfill these requirements, Congress has regularly appropriated funding for the IAF. Most recently, in 2024, the Congress approved Public Law 118-47, which appropriated $47,000,000 for the IAF for Fiscal Year 2024, in a strong show of bipartisan support for its critical development efforts. Such funding has continued through the current Continuing Resolution (P.L. 118-83).
Along with the IAF’s standing, permanent authorization, the regular approval of annual appropriations for the IAF—enacted by Congresses and Presidents of both parties, including during your first term— constitute an ongoing authorization of the agency’s functions that remains in force.
We also emphasize that any efforts to reorganize, redesign, or substantially alter the IAF require prior consultation with and a 15-day advanced notification to Congress under Section 7063 of the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations law (P.L. 118-47). This includes any efforts to “expand, eliminate, consolidate, or downsize” the IAF, as per Section 7063(b) of the law. No such consultation or notification has been provided to the Congress. The law prohibits any such efforts to reorganize, redesign, or substantially alter IAF absent such consultation and notification
Eliminating this agency – or reducing its activities in an effort that would effectively eliminate it - would undermine U.S. leadership in the region and create a vacuum that adversarial powers would exploit to expand their influence and undermine congressional intent.
We urge you to reconsider this action and respect the statute that governs the Inter-American Foundation’s existence. If your administration believes changes to the IAF’s mission or funding levels are necessary, such proposals must be submitted to Congress for legislative consideration, as required by law.
We look forward to your response and to working together to ensure responsible and lawful governance of U.S. foreign assistance programs.
Sincerely,
Rep. Joaquin Castro
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks
Rep. Lois Frankel
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Rep. Sara Jacobs
Senator Tim Kaine
Senator Cory Booker
