US House passes bill to cut foreign aid to Nigeria

The US House of Representatives has passed a fiscal year spending bill with provisions to cut foreign assistance to Nigeria over alleged targeted violence against Christians and other vulnerable communities.

The National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations Act for the 2027 fiscal year was passed by the House on Wednesday in a 217-209 vote. This bill contains a provision to withhold all foreign assistance to Nigeria until the US can certify that the Nigerian government is taking effective steps to protect Christians from violence.

The bill demands “holding foreign governments and bad actors accountable for persecuting people of faith.”

This measure, the bill indicates, includes “restricting assistance to Nigeria until measurable actions are taken to protect Christian communities suffering from religious violence.”

It also seeks to provide “support for religious freedom programs abroad and religious freedom protections for faith-based organisations delivering foreign aid.”

The provision was championed by Riley Moore and a host of other Republican lawmakers, including Jeff Steube, a lawmaker representing Florida. The bill was introduced to the House in April. Mr Steube also announced the bill’s passage on his official X handle, saying, “American taxpayers should NEVER bankroll governments that turn a blind eye while Christians are abducted, tortured, and murdered.”

Mr Moore, who previously accused the Nigerian government of Christian genocide, had pushed for language in the FY2027 NSRP Appropriations Act to restrict assistance to Nigeria on the ground that “not enough has been done against Fulani Islamist terrorists in the Middle Belt.”

The Republican lawmaker told the House that the provision offered assistance to the government, conditioned on improvement in the protection of the Christian population.

He described this as part of the Trump administration’s strategy to assist Nigeria in the defence of Christians “while holding the President Tinubu’s government accountable if they fail.”

However, while the bill had initially restricted the provision of 50 per cent of US assistance, Mr Stuebe proposed completely withholding foreign assistance to the country.