Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 18 June 2019

U.S. restores some aid to El

Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala

that after a review of more “Previously awarded grants said the assistance was key
than $615 million in assis- and contracts will continue to helping improve condi-
tance that President Don- with current funding,” de- tions in the three countries
ald Trump ordered in March partment spokeswoman that have contributed to
to be cut entirely, it would Morgan Ortagus said. She the people leaving.
go ahead with $432 mil- added that assistance “to Ortagus told reporters the
lion in projects and grants help the Northern Triangle administration was leav-
that had been previously governments take actions ing the door open to future
approved. The remain- that will protect the U.S. funding but would first have
ing amount will be held in border and counter trans- to see progress on migra-
escrow pending consulta- national organized crime tion.
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus speaks at tions with Congress, it said. will also continue.” “We will not provide new
a news conference at the State Department in Washington,
Monday, June 17, 2019. That $432 million, which U.S. officials said the review funds for programs in those
Associated Press comes from the 2017 bud- looked at roughly 700 proj- countries until we are satis-
By MATTHEW LEE tral American nations of El get, is being spent on ects funded with fiscal 2017 fied that the Northern Trian-
AP Diplomatic Writer Salvador, Honduras and health, education and pov- money by the United States gle governments are taking
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Guatemala but will not al- erty alleviation programs as in the three countries and concrete actions to reduce
Trump administration said low new funding until those well as anti-crime efforts concluded that a signifi- the number of migrants
Monday it is easing pre- countries do more to re- that many believe help re- cant number were too far coming to the U.S. border,
viously announced cuts duce migrant flows to the duce migrant outflows from advanced to end them. she said. “This is consistent
in hundreds of millions of United States. the impoverished North- Trump’s decision in March with the president’s direc-
dollars in aid to the Cen- The State Department said ern Triangle region. About to cut all direct aid to El Sal- tion and with the recogni-
$370 million in money from vador, Honduras and Gua- tion that it is critical that
the 2018 budget will not be temala over the migration there be sufficient political
spent and instead will be issue elicited harsh criticism will in these countries to
moved to other projects, from Congress where law- address the problem at its
the State Department said. makers from both parties source.”q

Florida effort to block election

hacking gets extra $2M

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — voter information files of tion is run smoothly.” Lee
Florida’s county elections two of Florida’s 67 county will work with the county
departments will retain $2.3 election supervisor offices election supervisors to de-
million in unspent grant during the 2016 presidential termine how the money
money aimed at stop- election. Officials do not is divided. DeSantis said if
ping cyber-attacks on the believe the vote tabulation more money is needed, he
state’s voting system, Gov. system was compromised would seek it from the Leg-
Ron DeSantis announced and say there is no indica- islature.
Monday. tion last year’s state elec- “We must remain vigi-
DeSantis announced the tions were hacked. lant against constant and
unspent money is left over He and Secretary of State evolving threats,” Lee said.
from a $19 million federal Laurel Lee, who oversees “The Department of State
grant given last year to elections, vowed to identi- will ensure that no county
combat potential attacks fy and fix any problems be- stands alone against for-
on the Florida’s voting sys- fore the March presidential eign threats to Florida’s
tem and was supposed to primary. elections.” DeSantis said he
be returned to the state. It “We are taking the issue se- hopes no vulnerabilities are
will be combined with $2.8 riously,” DeSantis said. “We found but if there are, he
million in state funding cur- have 67 different elections doesn’t think they should
rently budgeted. that are run and not ev- be publicly disclosed.
The spending comes after ery county has the same “We would be telegraph-
it was disclosed last month amount of resources so we ing to our adversaries, ‘Hey,
that the FBI believes Rus- want to be there to offer this is where Florida is weak-
sian hackers breached the the support so the elec- est,’” DeSantis said.q