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CHAIRMAN ENGEL LAUDS FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF MERIDA INITIATIVE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
Wednesday May 14, 2008 Jason SteinbaumCHAIRMAN ENGEL LAUDS FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF MERIDA INITIATIVE AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008
Washington, DC--Today, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved the Merida Initiative Act of 2008 (H.R. 6028) with the strong support of Congressman Eliot Engel, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. H.R. 6028 authorizes full funding of the Bush Administration’s request for Mexico and significantly increases funding for the 7 countries of Central America. At today’s markup, Engel commended Chairman Howard Berman for his outstanding leadership on the Merida Initiative and efforts to stem drug violence affecting our southern border.
At today’s markup, Chairman Engel said, “The narco-violence in Mexico is not only undermining the safety and security of our friends to the South, but it is also fueling the drug trade and violence here in the United States. We care about what is happening in Mexico and Central America, because what happens there affects us all. We stand with our friends during their difficult times as we ask them to stand with us.”
On April 22nd, the total number of murders in Mexico was brought up to 1000 since January. In 2007, Mexico did not cross this deadly threshold until May 14th, and in 2006, it did not breach it until July.
Chairman Engel added, “Recent events in Mexico make today’s legislation more crucial than ever. Just last week, the chief of the Mexican federal police was brutally murdered in his own home. And then, the deputy police chief of Ciudad Juarez – a city smack on the border with the United States – was shot dead this past Saturday.”
Engel worked closely with Chairman Berman in developing H.R. 6028. Among the contributions of Congressman Engel are the following:
- A requirement that the President designate a coordinator of all United States government activities to implement the Merida Initiative
- Authorization of $100 million for the countries of Central America for FY 2008 - $50 million above the President’s request
- Authorization of at least $15 million per year of crucial youth gang prevention programs for Central America
- Authorization of fundamental programs left out of the Bush Administration’s initial request for Central America, including victim and witness protection programs, operational and technical assistance for the U.N. International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and programs that help reintegrate deportees back into their home countries
- The inclusion of the text of the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2008 – introduced in the House by Representative Ciro Rodriguez, Chairman Engel and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes – which helps the United States to live up to its obligation to the Mexican government and people to do a better job curbing the flow of arms into Mexico.
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