The North American country made it clear that either the organization actively commits to the defense of democracy in the region and combats leftist dictatorships, particularly in Venezuela, or it will face the withdrawal of the main country funding its budget.
During the 55th OAS General Assembly in Antigua and Barbuda, the US Deputy Secretary of State made it clear that Washington's patience has run out.
“I'm here to extend a hand of friendship to this organization and to anyone who accepts it. But friendship is a two-way street. We must be able to tell our people that our substantial investment in this organization benefits our country” Landau stated in a speech that marked a shift in US foreign policy toward multilateral organizations.
El subsecretario de Estado, Christopher Landau
He warned: "I'm not sure we're in a position to do that at this moment, and I ask you in good faith to help me make this case."
United States, which currently funds about 50% of the OAS budget, openly questioned the direction of the organization since, while they pay, leftist governments and dictatorships, in collaboration with China, impose the organization's agenda.
The Venezuela case was at the center of the criticism. Washington denounced the fraudulent election, manipulation of records, political repression, and the exodus of millions of Venezuelans, all in the face of the silence and passivity of the OAS. According to Landau, the organization is complicit due to its lack of action.
Furthermore, the complicity can be seen with the OAS Secretary General himself, Albert Ramdin, who refuses to label Nicolás Maduro's regime as a dictatorship, thus avoiding taking a firm stance on the political situation in Venezuela.
La OEA.
One of the strongest revelations was that the State Department's budget for 2026 doesn't include funds allocated to the OAS, and the corresponding line appears blank.
The first change made by the OAS
Landau's speech had an immediate impact. Rosa María Payá, Cuban activist exiled in Miami and daughter of the late dissident Oswaldo Payá, managed to reverse an unfavorable vote and was elected as a new member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). She was the right-wing candidate backed by the Donald Trump administration.
Washington's message is clear: if United States pays, it must also decide and set the organization's agenda. It can't happen that a country funds half the budget of an organization that is dedicated to defending governments and ideologies hostile to the West.
The OAS now faces an important decision: align itself with the defense of freedom and democracy, or become a tool of the left, but without funding from United States.
