By Belize Live News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño says the pressure on Belize’s finances is coming from far beyond its borders, and he is hoping for change in Washington.
The PM said the wars were a main topic at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, where leaders of the largest Commonwealth nations called for the world to work together to end the fighting in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Because if we do that, things will settle. It will take time for things to recalibrate, but at least it’s a start,” he said.
Briceño also pointed to US tariffs as a major burden on small economies like Belize.
“We import a lot from the United States, so when those products are imported into the United States, they have to pay these high tariffs, and when we buy it back, who do you think pays for that? It is our consumers,” he said.
With Democrats taking control of the US Senate in last week’s midterm elections, the PM said he hopes President Donald Trump will rethink his approach.
“I’m hoping that President Trump would recalibrate his thinking,” he said.
If tariffs return to where they were before, Briceño said, it would help ease the pressure on small, open economies and the world economy.
In the meantime, government is trimming spending across ministries to free up about $50 million for energy costs and relief for Belizean families. The PM is expected to give a fuller report in the National Assembly.
