Congressmen Reyes And Cuellar Introduce Mexico Aid Bill
CONGRESSMEN REYES AND CUELLAR INTRODUCE MEXICO AID BILL
Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo/McAllen, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, introduced the "Prosperous and Secure Neighbor Alliance of 2007" (PSNA). The bill addresses a serious imbalance in U.S. foreign aid by significantly increasing foreign assistance to Mexico to improve security and promote economic development. Mexico received $69 million in foreign aid from the U.S. in fiscal year 2006, while Columbia and Peru received $561 million and $146 million, respectively.
"This initiative will help curb drug-related violence in Mexico and along the U.S.-Mexico border by significantly increasing our foreign assistance to Mexico," noted Congressman Cuellar. "We will work to ensure that our neighbor and partner to the south has the assistance it needs to fulfill its responsibilities."
"El Paso is consistently considered one of the safest cities in America, and funding like this will help keep it that way," said Reyes. "I've long emphasized that Mexico must be a partner in efforts to safeguard the border region, and this bill will help them further their law enforcement efforts."
The Prosperous and Secure Neighbor Alliance is a five-part strategy that would authorize $170 million in appropriations for Mexico for each of the next five fiscal years. This would include:
Professionalizing the Mexican police force, including assistance to improve coordination of U.S. and Mexican efforts to find missing American citizens
Upgrading technology used to fight the Drug War
Strengthening the judicial branch and training prosecutors and judges
Establishing anti-corruption programs, including the vetting of Mexican law enforcement officers working with the U.S. government
Promoting economic and social development, including micro-lending and trade capacity building
The bill is also supported by Congressmen Ruben Hinojosa and Solomon Ortiz, both of whom represent border districts in South Texas.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx28_cuellar/mexicoaidplan.html