Background Information: Violence in Colombia

This controversial bilateral trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia was stalled in the U.S. Congress for five years due to primarily to ongoing human and labor rights abuses in Colombia before it was finally passed in October 2011 after the U.S. and Colombian governments signed a Labor Action Plan that USLEAP and others consider inadequate.  The FTA was prematurely implemented in May 2012.  A Congressional Monitoring Group has been formed to continue to press for concrete progress on addressing worker rights violations, including murder and impunity.

U.S. Foreign Aid (Plan Colombia) 

Colombia is the largest recipient of U.S. aid outside of the Middle East and Afghanistan, receiving over $6 billion since the inception of Plan Colombia in 2000. Unfortunately, over 60% of U.S. aid has funded the Colombian military. Find out more and contact Congress about this important issue.