Colombia: Summary and Tables on U.S. Assistance, FY1989-FY2004
Released: 2003-05-19T00:00:00

RS21213 -- Colombia: Summary and Tables on U.S. Assistance, FY1989-FY2004

Updated May 19, 2003

Pre-Plan Colombia Funding FY1989-FY1999

While the United States has been providing counternarcotics (CN) assistance to Colombia at least as far back as the mid-1970s, former President George H.W. Bushdramatically increased CN aid to Colombia through his 1989 "Andean Initiative." Grant aid to Colombia hadincreased gradually, albeit not evenly, through the1980s, as Colombia evolved from a major supplier of marijuana to the United States, to nearly the sole supplier ofcocaine. By the end of the 1980s, with coca leafcultivation and cocaine production rising in the Andean region, and Colombia suffering increased political violencefrom the Medellin drug-trafficking cartel, theformer Bush Administration established its new CN program. Under this region-wide initiative, the United Statessubstantially increased State Department supportfor Colombian CN efforts, and provided Colombian security forces, primarily the police, with equipment throughforeign military financing grants and DODequipment drawdowns. As part of the effort to bring military resources to bear on the "war against drugs," in 1991,Congress enacted "Section 1004" of the 1991National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ( P.L.101-510 ). This provides the DOD with authority to providetransportation, reconnaissance, training, intelligence,and base support when requested by foreign law enforcement agencies for CN purposes.

Funding for Colombia dropped in the first two years of the Clinton Administration budgets. It began to increase in FY1997, with increased attention to eradicationefforts. Until FY1998, however, the numbers fell short of the Bush years. (1) In 1998, Congress established a new authority, Section 1033 of the1998NDAA ( P.L.105-85 ), for the U.S. military to provide non-lethal equipment, and to maintain and repair counter-drug equipment. Table 2 details funding for the eleven yearsfrom FY1989 - FY1999, which totals $1,066.7 million (i.e., $1.07 billion).

"Plan Colombia" and ARI Funding, FY2000-FY2002

The 1998 election of a new Colombian president, Andres Pastrana, led to a reevaluation of U.S. policy and greater cooperation. During Pastrana's October 1998state visit, President Clinton announced that the United State would provide nearly three times more assistance toColombia during FY1999 than it had the previousyear. Much of this, however, was the $173.2 million in congressionally-mandated supplemental appropriationsfunding ( P.L. 105-277 ) for helicopter and aircraft upgrades, radar, andpolice assistance that the Administration had not requested. In FY2000, the funding again rose substantially withthe "Plan Colombia" legislation.

In July 2000, Congress approved the Clinton Administration's request for $1.3 billion in FY2000 State Department and DOD emergency supplemental appropriations ( P.L. 106-246 ) forthe region-wide "Plan Colombia," of which $860.3 was earmarked for Colombia. Nearly half of the Colombiafunding was dedicated to the "Push into Southern Colombia" program toset up and train two new Colombian Army Counternarcotics battalions (CACBs), which combined with an existingone set up earlier by the United States to form a brigade of some2,700. The brigade assists the Colombian National Police (CNP) in the fumigation of illicit narcotics crops and thedismantling of laboratories, beginning with coca fumigation in thesouthern provinces of Putumayo and Caquetá, where coca cultivation was spreading rapidly. Congress alsoprovided substantial assistance for economic development, displacedpersons, human rights monitors, and administration of justice and other governance programs, all intended to helpColombia counter the many threats to its stability and integrity fromthe trafficking of illegal narcotics.

With its FY2002 budget request, the Bush Administration expanded the scope of Clinton's "Plan Colombia" policy through its Andean Regional Initiative (ARI), with continuing highlevels of support for existing "Plan Colombia" programs in Colombia, and increased assistance to states borderingor close to Colombia. Congress provided $380.5 million, nearly all ofthe Administration's requested $399 million, for Colombia in State Department counternarcotics funding in theFY2002 foreign operations appropriations ( P.L. 107-115 ). (2) As inprevious years, the appropriations bill included human rights and other conditions, and a cap on the numberdeployed of military personnel and of private contractors who are U.S.citizens.

Expanded Authorities: FY2002-FY2003

In February 2002, through requests for FY2002 emergency supplemental appropriations and FY2003 regular appropriations, the Bush Administration sought authority and funding toexpand the scope of military assistance. In both requests, it asked for foreign military financing (FMF) funds to trainand equip Colombian soldiers to defend oil pipelines and otherinfrastructure from attacks by leftist guerrillas, in addition to funding for Plan Colombia programs. Thesupplemental request also sought funding to train Colombian security forces inanti-kidnapping techniques. In addition, the supplemental submission proposed to broaden the authorities of theDefense and State Departments to use FY2002 and FY2003 assistanceand unexpended Plan Colombia ( P.L. 106-246 ) aid to support the Colombian government's "unified campaignagainst narcotics trafficking, terrorist activities, and other threats to itsnational security."

In the month before Colombia's new president, Alvaro Uribe, took office in August 2002, Congress provided almost all of the requested supplemental funding and expanded the scopeof military assistance permitted with those and previous-fiscal year funds. With the FY2002 supplementalappropriations (Section 305, P.L. 107-206 ), Congress provided authority forthe Administration to use counternarcotics and other funds to support Colombia's "unified campaign" againstnarcotics trafficking and against activities by organizations designated asterrorist organizations, naming specifically the two major leftist guerrilla groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forcesof Colombia and the National Liberation Army, and the rightist UnitedSelf-Defense Forces of Colombia, as well as in emergency circumstances. Congress, however, did not provideexpanded authority for activities involving any other national securitythreats. Congress extended the authority for State Department FY2003 funding in the omnibus FY2003appropriations bill ( P.L. 108-7 , under the heading "Andean CounterdrugInitiative"), passed in February 2003, which included annual State Department appropriations, and for DOD fundingin the FY2003 defense appropriations bill (Section 8145, P.L.107-248 ). Congress approved just $5 million shy of the $537 million the Bush Administration requested in CN($433.2 million) and FMF ($93 million) funding. In the FY2003supplemental appropriations ( P.L. 108-11 ), Congress included $105 million for Colombia: $34 million in StateDepartment CN funding, $34 million in DOD CN funding, and $37.1million in FMF funding. Both bills condition aid on the observance of human rights and environmental and otherrestrictions.

FY2004 Request

For FY2004, the Bush Administration has requested $573 million for Colombia, including $463 million in Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) funds, and $110 million in ForeignMilitary Financing. It has also requested military funding for Colombia that, for the first time since Plan Colombiawas adopted, is not requested for a very specific purpose. TheAdministration request states that FMF for Colombia is intended "to support counter-terrorism operations andprotect key infrastructure such as the oil pipeline."

General Notes for Tables 1 and 2

Table 1 shows aid to Colombia from FY2000 through FY2003 and the FY2004 request. Table 2 shows aid from FY1989-FY1999. (For more information, see CRS Report RL30541 , CRS Report RL31016 , and CRS Report RL31383(pdf) .)

Tables 1 and 2 include direct U.S. foreign assistance (i.e., the categories usually counted as U.S. foreign aid, which are in italics ) as well as the costs of goods and services provided toColombia from other U.S. government programs supporting CN efforts there. These figures were taken frompublically-available documents or provided directly by the Departments ofState and Defense. The United States also provides a small amount of DOD Excess Defense Articles (EDA) toColombia.

These charts provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of U.S. assistance to Colombia, but there are limitations. For instance, some funds are spent in Colombia on counternarcoticsand other activities that are considered part of U.S. programs: for instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) spends its own funds on joint operations in Colombia. Otherfunds are provided through regional programs of USAID and other programs which are not counted as assistanceon a country-by-country basis. No attempt was made to estimate suchfunds. Also, there are inconsistencies among various sources. Because of these and other constraints on gatheringdata, the amount of assistance provided to Colombia may be largerthan the amounts cited in these tables.

Table 1. U.S. Assistance to Colombia FY2000-FY2004 (Obligations andauthorizations, $ millions)

Notes: NA = Not Available. Figures on State Department INC (International Narcotics Control), ACI (Andean Counterdrug Initiative), USAID, FMF, and IMETfunding from StateDepartment Congressional Presentations, budget justification documents, and allocation information provided bythe Department of State. Figures on INC Air Wing (FY2000-FY2004)provided by the State Department: figures provided May 5, 2003. (INC Air Wing funding supports the sprayeradication efforts. FY2000 figure includes $5.5 million in support of theColombian Army.) Figures on DOD 1004, 1004/124, and 1033 funding provided April 11, 2002, for FY2000-2002;and April 18, 2003, for FY2003 and FY2004. Both INC Air Wingand DOD funding are taken from regional accounts, therefore the FY2003 and FY2004 allocations are estimates,and can be shifted to respond to developing needs in other areas.

a FY2000 and thereafter, non-DOD Plan Colombia funds are all assigned to the State Department INC (FY2000 and FY2001) or ACI (FY2002 and thereafter) account; the StateDepartment transfers them to the other agencies carrying out programs in Colombia with those funds. These includethe Department of Justice and USAID. The USAID FY2000 andFY2001 figures are Economic Support Funds (ESF). These USAID figures do not include funds provided to USAIDfrom the INC account.

Table 2. U.S. Aid to Colombia FY1989-FY1999 (Obligations and Authorizations, $ millions)

Sources: Data is drawn from a number of sources, not all of which are consistent. These include: various editions of the U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants and Assistance fromInternational Organizations "Green Book," prepared by the US AID budget office; various editions of the ForeignMilitary Sales, Foreign Military Construction Sales, and MilitaryAssistance Facts book, prepared by the Department of Defense Security Cooperation Agency; information provideddirectly by the departments of State and Defense that are notrecorded in these publications; and by the General Accounting Office (GAO) for 1996-1998. (See GAO-01-26)Where contradictions existed, GAO data was preferred. Because of apossible lack of data or inaccuracies, some yearly totals may be understated or overstated, particularly prior toFY1997.

a In these years, there was assistance in this category of less than $50,000.

b Although it is likely that Section 1004 assistance was provided to Colombia as far back asFY1992, there is no public breakdown of such assistance until FY1997. That is the first yearin which DOD provided a publicly-available breakdown by country and authority for funding from its centralcounternarcotics account.

c Not included in totals.