| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico | June 2009 
President Obama Signs Supplemental Budget, Increasing Merida Initiative Funding for Mexico to $1.12 Billion
 PVNN
On June 26, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law a Supplemental Appropriations Act that includes $420 million in funding for the Merida Initiative in Mexico. This brings funding for the Merida Initiative in Mexico to $1.12 billion, including the $400 million in the FY2008 budget and the $300 million in the FY2009 budget.
The Merida funding in the Supplemental Appropriations Act contains $260 million in Foreign Military Financing funds and $160 million in International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement funds. These funds will be used to deepen the cooperation between the United States and Mexico and strengthen our efforts to overcome the threat of organized crime and drug trafficking.
In addition to this funding for the Merida Initiative, the Supplemental Appropriations Act also provided funding to several U.S. law enforcement agencies to bolster their capacity to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and arms smuggling.
These funds include: an additional $10 million for the U.S. Marshal Service to be used along the U.S.-Mexico border and for programs to apprehend fugitives; $20 million for the Drug Enforcement Administration; and $10 million for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to be used for upgraded ballistics evidence sharing equipment and to supplement the funding for Project Gunrunner firearms trafficking control efforts.
Please see the Embassy’s fact sheet on the Merida Initiative for more information on the program and its implementation. |
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