The United States House of Representatives has approved an amendment that would withhold 100 percent of US assistance to Nigeria until the country takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and terrorism within its borders.
The amendment, proposed on Wednesday by Representative Gregory Steube, who represents Florida’s 17th Congressional District, was adopted through a voice vote during consideration of the legislation.
The move strengthens an earlier proposal introduced by the House in April, which sought to withhold 50 percent of funds appropriated for Nigeria until the US Secretary of State certifies that the Nigerian government has taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”
Speaking in support of the amendment, Steube argued that maintaining the earlier 50 percent threshold effectively rewarded the Nigerian government despite what he described as its failure to protect its citizens.
“I rise in strong support for my amendment to increase the withholding threshold for assistance to Nigeria, from 50 percent to 100 percent, while keeping in place benchmarks that demand Nigeria take effective steps to address the violence and persecution that continue to devastate the country,” he said.
Steube accused the Nigerian government of failing to address worsening insecurity, claiming that religious minorities, particularly Christians, continue to face attacks from extremist groups.
“Nigeria has faced a horrific wave of violence that its corrupt government has failed to address.”
He continued:
“For years, and especially in recent months, Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria have been subjected to violence and terrorism at the hands of extremists operating with impunity.”
“Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured, and killed. Their churches are burned, and entire communities are erased.”
The Florida lawmaker argued that if aid conditions are significant enough to justify withholding half of US assistance, they should warrant suspending the entire allocation.
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“If the aid conditions included in the bill are important enough to withhold half of all the funding to the Nigerian government, then they are important enough to withhold all of the funding.”
He also questioned continued US financial support for Nigeria.
“The generosity of our taxpayers is a reflection of the American values we hold so firmly. Never should we allow their hard-earned tax dollars to be funnelled to corrupt regimes that fail to uphold religious freedom, fail to adequately confront terrorism, and fail to protect the innocent from persecution.”
“So, why are we rewarding a government that fails to meet such a basic obligation?”
Steube further argued that continued foreign assistance to Nigeria is difficult to justify amid growing insecurity and rising US fiscal pressures.
“It is absurd to expend foreign aid to Nigeria in the face of rising insecurity, especially as America’s national debt approaches $40 trillion.”
He said the amendment would ensure US assistance is used as leverage to promote accountability and uphold American values.
“My amendment proposal would ensure that US aid is appropriately leveraged to defend, reflect, and uphold American values.”
The proposed measure comes amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation in Washington.
In 2025, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over allegations of religious persecution and violence against Christians.
Despite those concerns, Nigeria and the United States have since expanded military cooperation, with both countries working together in counterterrorism operations targeting insurgent groups operating across Nigeria’s vast northern region.
