Venezuelan earthquakes test Trump’s new western hemisphere policy after gutting of USAID

According to The Guardian, this week's earthquakes in Venezuela are testing the Trump administration's new approach to disaster relief in Latin America. Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, was ousted by US special forces in January, and the administration is now coordinating a rapid humanitarian response. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced three specialized urban search and rescue teams and one hundred fifty million dollars in aid—one expert called it the largest assistance package deployed within twenty-four hours of a disaster. The response highlights a shift away from traditional USAID-led relief toward direct governmental intervention in the western hemisphere.

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