Chile traditionally has been a close U.S. partner in Latin America. Since Chile’s 1990 return to democracy, the United States and Chile have maintained close economic and security ties, worked to promote democracy and human rights, and cooperated on scientific research and in other areas. Congress has helped shape the bilateral relationship at times, including through the imposition of restrictions on arms sales and military assistance to Chile during the country’s 1973-1990 dictatorship (e.g., P.L. 94-329, §406), the approval and implementation of the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement in 2003 (P.L. 108-77), and Senate consent to the ratification of a bilateral tax treaty in 2023 (Treaty Doc. 112-8). Chile’s Domestic Situation President José Antonio Kast of the right-wing Republican Party was inaugurated to a four-year term on March 11, 2026, succeeding President Gabriel Boric of the left-wing Broad Front (2022-2026). Kast’s 2025 electoral victory was the fifth consecutive presidential election in which Chileans voted out the incumbent political coalition. The Kast administration has begun to implement business-friendly economic reforms, more restrictive immigration policies, and various initiatives intended to suppress crime and violence. Kast has needed to secure the support of unaffiliated and/or opposition legislators to enact his legislative agenda since the center-right and right-wing political coalitions incorporated into his government lack majorities in both houses of the Chilean congress. Since taking office, Kast’s approval rating has declined from 57% to 38%, and his disapproval rating has climbed from 34% to 59%, driven primarily by a deterioration in economic conditions. U.S.-Chile Relations The second Trump and Kast administrations have sought to reset the U.S.-Chile relationship, which was somewhat strained during the final year of the Boric administration due to disagreements over U.S. tariffs and military operations in the Western Hemisphere, among other policy differences. The U.S. and Chilean governments have announced several new agreements and initiatives focused on combatting organized crime, strengthening regional security cooperation, and developing secure supply chains for critical minerals. U.S. tariffs on imports from Chile have continued to generate tensions, however, and have raised questions among some members of the Kast administration and other Chilean observers about the reliability of the United States as a partner. According to Pew Research Center polling, the percentage of Chileans expressing favorable views of the United States declined from 55% to 37% between spring 2024 and spring 2026. Congressional Action The 119th Congress has enacted some legislation and is considering other measures that may affect U.S.-Chilean relations. For example, Congress lifted a prohibition on U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) support for projects in countries that the World Bank classifies as high income. Since that change, enacted in the DFC Modernization and Reauthorization Act of 2025 (P.L. 119-60, Division H, Title LXXXVII), DFC has sought to mobilize private capital for investments in critical minerals and strategic infrastructure projects in Chile. The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75, Division F), designated $11 million for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) activities in the Southern Cone of South America, a portion of which could benefit Chile. The FY2027 NSRP appropriations bill passed by the House in July 2026 (H.R. 8595/H.Rept. 119-631) would designate $20 million in INCLE aid for the Southern Cone. Some Members of Congress also have engaged in oversight of U.S.-Chile relations, examining bilateral security cooperation, the impact of U.S. tariffs, collaboration on critical minerals, and the influence of the People’s Republic of China in Chile, among other issues.
Full content not yet available.