00:00Among the initial changes by US President Donald Trump, a 90-day freeze
00:05on funding for almost all foreign US-assisted programs amid a review
00:09process for the various programs. It's making headlines around the world with
00:14many international humanitarian organizations being among those
00:18expressing serious concern. Here at home, the training programs for the TNT
00:24Defense Force are among the areas impacted by the freeze. A program which
00:28was set to begin on January 25th has been canceled. But it's not limited to
00:34this, as the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, which
00:39issues grant funding, has been working with TNT on several fronts, including
00:44climate change, disaster relief, food security, and crime. The executive order
00:49issued by President Trump holds USAID funding on an international level.
00:54Questioned on the way forward amid these new developments, Minister of
00:58Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Dr. Amy Brown says, quote, as the United States
01:03of America exercises the sovereign right to review and likely adjust the policies
01:08and programs that shape its technical and functional cooperation and
01:12assistance initiatives for the rest of the world, partner nations such as
01:16Trinidad and Tobago and others in the developing world must engage in careful
01:21analysis and prudent and measured adjustment when necessary. These
01:26matters will occupy CARICOM heads of government at the upcoming heads
01:30meeting in Barbados, end quote. That meeting is scheduled to take place on
01:35the 19th to the 21st of February. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has indicated
01:40that he will be in attendance in December of 2024. TNT signed five
01:45bilateral military to military agreements with the United States. It's
01:49one of the latest areas of cooperation between the two countries, which has
01:53had bilateral relations for years. One area of contention under the 2016 to
01:592020 Trump administration surrounded TNT's position on Venezuela. But in
02:05March of 2019, Prime Minister Rowley told the Parliament that it had not
02:09resulted in any tear of the relationship. He said, quote, The U. S. Remains a
02:14friendly country and in so far as we might have a disagreement as to the
02:19approach in Venezuela, it has nothing to do with the relationship between the
02:23people of the United States and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, end
02:28quote. Alicia Boucher TV six News.
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