HONDURAS Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The HONDURAS Act creates a foreign-assistance leverage tool tied to Soto Cano Air Base. If United States military or civilian personnel redeploy from the base because the Government of Honduras refuses or is unwilling to host them, the President may suspend all assistance to Honduras. The authorization specifically includes suspension of the May 20, 1954 bilateral military assistance agreement and later amendments. The bill does not itself order redeployment or automatically terminate aid; it gives the President authority to suspend assistance after a host-nation refusal or unwillingness triggers a redeployment from Soto Cano. The practical stakes are U.S. basing leverage, Honduran security assistance, and the programs that depend on U.S. aid flows.
Who Benefits and How
United States defense planners benefit because the bill gives the President an aid-suspension tool if Honduras no longer hosts Soto Cano personnel. The President of the United States benefits from explicit authority to suspend assistance after a host-nation basing dispute. Federal taxpayers benefit if suspended assistance reduces outlays after U.S. personnel leave Soto Cano Air Base. U.S. military personnel benefit indirectly if redeployment decisions are backed by a clear diplomatic consequence.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Government of Honduras officials risk losing United States assistance if Honduras refuses or is unwilling to host personnel at Soto Cano Air Base. Honduran security forces may lose support connected to the 1954 military assistance agreement and later amendments. State Department assistance offices must identify and suspend affected assistance if the President uses the authority. USAID program administrators in Honduras may face disrupted grants or contracts if assistance is suspended.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes the President to suspend all United States assistance to Honduras after a Soto Cano redeployment tied to Honduran refusal or unwillingness.
- Includes the 1954 bilateral military assistance agreement and amendments in the suspension authority.
- Uses foreign assistance as leverage for continued host-nation basing cooperation.
- Leaves the suspension discretionary with the President rather than imposing automatic termination.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the President to suspend all United States assistance to Honduras, including the 1954 military assistance agreement, if U.S. military or civilian personnel redeploy from Soto Cano Air Base because Honduras refuses or is unwilling to host them.
Key Policy Areas
Foreign Affairs, Defense, Foreign Assistance
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the President to suspend all United States assistance to Honduras, including the 1954 military assistance agreement, if U.S. military or civilian personnel redeploy from Soto Cano Air Base because Honduras refuses or is unwilling to host them.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- United States defense planners
- President of the United States
- Federal taxpayers
- U.S. military personnel
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Government of Honduras officials
- Honduran security forces
- State Department assistance offices
- USAID program administrators
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Ogles (for himself and Ms. Salazar) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Government of Honduras officials, Honduran security forces, President of the United States
Positive-direction: President of the United States
Negative-direction: Government of Honduras officials, Honduran security forces, USAID program administrators
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology