Merida Initiative update: White House sneaks it into war spending bill
Back in February, I reported on the White House/State Department’s $1.4 billion “Merida Initiative,” a stimulus/national security package for Mexico.
There’s been little congressional oversight since then–let alone awareness-of the plan. Mexico has been arrogantly clamoring for the money, even as it continues to trash America as racist and meddles with our sovereignty.
So, what’s happening now? The White House is trying to stuff major portions of the Merida Initiative into the war spending bill–while our fences go unbuilt and immigration chaos reigns on our soil:
President Bush on Wednesday showcased his request for $500 million in U.S. military assistance to help Mexico combat murderous drug cartels in a bid to build congressional support for the more contentious part of his spending package — the latest multibillion dollar request for emergency war spending in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush crafted plans for the U.S. military assistance to Mexico at a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon 14 months ago and sketched details last October, including money for military equipment such as helicopters, training and assistance in combating corruption in the criminal justice system.
Bush pitched his financing plan to the Council of the Americas, an organization of international businesses that backs free trade and democracy. The U.S. military assistance — $500 for Mexico and $50 million for Central American nations — will help them “deal with the scourge of these unbelievably wealthy and unbelievably violent drug kingpins,” Bush told the organization’s conference at the State Department.
Administration officials have said the remaining $900 million originally proposed in the Merida Initiative will be requested later…
…Bush pivoted off the remarks at the Council of the Americas to appeal for favorable congressional action on his entire emergency spending request, not just the tiny share set aside for U.S. military assistance to Mexico and Central American nations.
The total for the supplemental spending package was in flux. The Bush administration sought at least $108 billion to finance operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30. The House Democratic leadership fashioned a spending package of nearly $195 billion that included domestic spending that Bush has threatened to veto.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill may get a more detailed look at the program’s spending blueprint today when the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s panel on Latin America hears testimony from the State Department’s top Latin America specialist, Thomas Shannon.
Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy, a non-profit think tank that opposes the Merida Initiative, said the administration included financing for the program within the emergency war supplemental bill because it would be ”hard to strip out any part of that spending package.”
Details of the spending proposal were not made available by the White House.
At least one GOP congressman knows what’s going on:
Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, said he opposed providing the assistance to Mexico. “These resources should go to our own law enforcement officers rather than Mexico’s,” Culberson said.
And at least one GOP senator has called the White House for cramming the plan into the war spending bill and circumventing the regular deliberative process:
But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, opposed including the funds in the war supplemental. A spokesman said Cornyn “believes additional funding requests should be reviewed on their merits through the normal appropriations process.”
Republicans have rightly lambasted the Dem leadership for larding up the war supplemental with unrelated spending. Their position is weakened when the White House is guilty of the very same thing.
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Merida? Is that spelled with a “i” or without?
It was nice to see two Texans have our country ahead of mexico’s demands from the US taxpayers. GADS, when I don’t think it can get any worse, it sure does,
PS, Michelle, is there any ‘fun’ thing happening in the world today you can find to post to take our minds off this horror we are going through?
L
Looking for allies in all the wrong places…
Oh yes, for the love of God, lets pay for the sovereignty of MEXICO !! Doesn’t anyone in that White House see how head up your a$$ that is ??!? C’mon GOP, slap this dog down. 1.4 billion? If I’d have taken acid in high school I’d think I was having a flashback right now !
It never ends. Spending $ we don’t have. Unbeleivable. I guess it is easy to throw around taxpayer $.
And Republicans STILL can’t figure out why the Conservatives don’t like them.
It is nice to know that Texas has a couple of Congress critters that give a damn about this country that are willing to raise the BS flag for the use of US taxpayers money to defend our enemy to the south. Wish I could say the same about wide-stance Craig who never met an illegal he didn’t want to sell us out to.
This is what Mexico’s oil and the profits from it for a few Americans will get the American people. It never even has to reach American soil.
Can’t touch me.
Ya, what can you call this other than a 1.4 billion dollar ear mark in the name of stupid/43. Just goes to show this expenditure can not stand the light of day on it’s own otherwise why not an appropriation bill. Or why not treat this like the Duncan Hunter fence. Approve the bill without approving associated revenues. Is it not strange 43 can find 1.4 billion in a pigs ear for Mexico but not a dime for the fence. Place your favorite 43 adhominem here [ the man who found being POTUS too difficult ]!
And I thought Bush was not doing anything as a lame duck. Jan 2009 can not come fast enough.
Only two representatives out of how many? Disgusting.
Thank you Michelle for reminding me to send an email to Walgreens. I was there yesterday and I heard advertisements for Walgreens in SPANISH. Nothing in English.
The music they play in that store is in Spanish, but I didn’t expect to hear store advertisements in Spanish as well. I intend to let Walgreens know that if I don’t see this stop in that store, I will move all my families precriptions to Walmart.
Michelle, may I ask a favor? Could you include the bill numbers when making these types of posts? I’d like to be able to refer to them specifically when contacting my congressmen.
#11:
The article, from a Texas newspaper, quoted Texas congressmen.
Wow, Bush rails at the Dems for putting more than war funding in the bill, and threatens a Veto because of it….
And then HE puts this in it?
Follow your own rhetoric, make it a clean war spending bill…
Just read in the morning RAG, the Chief of the Federal Police was killed outside his home yesterday by DRUG CARTELS. Stick a fork in this boondoggle it is DONE. LORD help the US of A….
OK, Felipe. I’ll give it to you. It’s inside a sewage-proof box at the bottom of the Tijuana River.
Which is why my contributions go to Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, both represent me as opposed to Sen. Hutchison, Gov Perry and President Bush.
Needless to say the RNC couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t send any to them or McCain, but I will vote fro McCain in Nov. – sure not going to enable the marxist Obama.
Three words …
Line
Item
Veto
What makes you think McCain is not a marxist?
So Mexico has a drug problem. Interesting. So lets give the insanely ineffective government money. I mean the drug cartels do need new equipment as it is getting a little bit more harder to make it in our country. I mean the government of ours is really cracking down NOW on hiring illegals to build a border wall. This is blasphemy. Mexico not US or a subsidary of US needs to realize to destroy these Cartels, it needs to start at the top. It needs to be vicious. It needs to keep an eye on its soldiers. It needs to close its Southern Border. Sneaking it into a bill is ridiculous. Heres an interesting fact.
Iran is building a wall with Afghanistan to keep out illegals and drugs.
And we call ourselves Progressive.
It’s crap like this (among many other things) that causes me to throw all fundraising requests from the RNC in the trash, without fail.
Amen to that! He has squandered this entire term pandering and groveling to the left in a desperate Sally Fields like attempt at winning their love.
What’s next? World poverty tours with Jimmy Carter?
Uh… dude…
BUSH is the one proposing this… you know, the Pres? The guy who would have to veto it?
Why would the line item veto help?
Now I see what was really happening when that Mexican Official took those White House Blackberries. He thought they were part of the deal.
Letget @2 here is a link to something that will give you a good laugh.
When we call about our out-rage over the mortgage bail-out —why don’t we add this and make TWO comments?!!! We’ll even save our $$$$ by making only one call.
I don’t want my $$$$$$$$$$$$ going for corrupt Mexico’s problems.
In the past, illegal aliens performed work, were paid under the table and sent the money home to their families who paid the mordida to government officials. This cuts out the middle man and is far more efficient.
Maybe government run healthcare can work.
I thought about that after I posted Romeo13. I am still having a difficult time understanding how or why republicans are doing this to us.
Apologies … and I sit here corrected.
These F’Rs represent Mexico more than America! Vote ALL OF THEM OUT
Not Cornyn. He’s been pretty consistently on our side. He should be good for another term or so before the Beltway crowd gets to him.
TXVET2, You’re correct but I still say vote all of them. Including Duncan Hunter. Just wipe the whole damn place clean so it send a clear message. AMERICA IS WHO THEY ARE TO REPRESENT. Listening to McInsane on Bill O’s show proves that Amnesety is coming our way. We need to flood both houses with people strickly opposed to it.
HOW MANY TIME DO WE HAVE TO SHUT DOWN THE PHONES IN CONGRESS BEFORE THEY GET A CLUE?
On May 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am, txvet2 said:
I agree with you to some degree. But Cornyn at one time was pushing his own amnesty lite with Flake of AZ. His bill called for the illegals to go home and get a visa and come back. It was called a “touchback provision”. It was a meaningless gesture and revolving door. In the end amnesty would be granted. So beware of Cornyn (especially hutchinson). They both support guest workers and unlimited H visas. And if amensty is disguised well enough wiht meaningless hoops, I suspect he would vote for it.
But I support Cornyn. He is overall a good Senator in comparison. Hutchinson, on the ohter hand, is a RINO with eyes on the governor’s mansion. She ran on a platform of term limits, as soon as she was elected she changed her mind. Not trustworthy.
Bush has done so many stupid things that BHO only has to use Bush’s name in the same sentence with McInsane between now and November.
Forget a march against amnesty….Let’s just all say NO to TAXES!!!
It’s getting pretty obvious that none of the money comes to Americans. I have had it with this traitorous piece of crap President!
Jorge won’t let details like that get in his way of kow-towing to Senor Calderon and Mexico’s demands. One on the way out and three trying their damnedest to get into the office. *sigh*
Mexico is making billions from us with their oil. They make billions more with the rest of their natural resources. Now we’re supposed to give them cash too? Somebody tell the President to loosen his tie. He’s obviously suffering oxygen debt.
I am so tired of the world looking at us as a free piggy bank to rob any time they need to waste some money.
and the GOP can’t figure out why the conservatives aren’t behind them anymore?
Please, don’t send the money to Mexico, just have an illegal move into my house, and pay the mortgage with my taxes. I’ll feel so much better.
PS – is there an early retirement plan for POTUS? I’ll take Cheney any day.
There’s an old axiom in horse trading: two white socks, half a horse. Four white socks, no horse at all.
The same holds true of a Presidents morals.
Sellout on oil independence, two thirds a President.
Sellout, sovereignty betrayal, one third a President.
War on terror, one third, a President. Barely.
One out of three on the shy side, isn’t much of a Commander in Chief.
Faux Republicans, go. to. hell.
Boy, John McCain is really going to be able to score some serious points with the base by standing up and speaking out against this sellout to….to….
Oh….wait…..
Nevermind.
Cornyn says he opposes amnesty but just wants to call it by another name. Hutchison is so wishy-washy on most things. Every time I send her a letter or e-mail regarding immigration, legal and illegal, she sends back a form letter telling me how wonderful these people are and how they help our economy and how she wants to secure the border first. All these people say they want to secure the border first, but they want to give amnesty to all the ones already here. A news item this morning said that terrorist cells were in Mexico now helping teach the narcotics and human traffickers how to get through without being caught. Not like they need much help now with the millions already getting through.
Spot on. Cornyn really did well in the amnesty debate but b/c he knows that amnesty must be disguised better. Hence his “touchback provision” allows him to say “see I sent them home”. Meaningless. Despite that he is still a good Senator comparatively. I get the same from flip flopper hutchinson. Whom I really don’t like. She is nto trustworthy.
Then we could do something about the illegal gang problem we have in this country..
I am still wait to hear when the revolution is to start. I am ready to render my services to reclaim our republic as our forefathers wanted it to be…
VIVA LE REVOLUTION…
Representative government….right.
You have to be an idiot to think that the lions share of any money sent to Mexico, or Central America wont land in the offshore accounts of the leaders of those corrupt countries that Bush (not the american people) want to send it to.
Bush is as conservative (and about as credible right now) as Rosie ODonnell, imho.
What can I say that hasn’t been said before? We the People are being sold out. Today I went looking for our local police departments’ oath of office. I wanna find out what laws they swear to actually uphold. I think it’s at the mayors office, but the oath is administered at the clerks desk, and recorded there. The County’s is at the new jail. I continue my mission on Monday.
I guess I have to Burn my G.D. Birth certificate to get an American Politician to listen to me…
Maybe a massive number of US Citizens should just give false Social Security numbers when gaining employment, and fake addresses when we go into the Emergency rooms to avoid paying for healthcare.
Bush knows exactly what he is doing; coninuing the buildup of Mexico (along w/China and the rest of the world) while he and the other dems destroy this economy and ensure our oil dependency grows. The globalist believe that weakening our country will provide incentive to the sheeple’s acceptance of World governance and elimination of our sovereignty.
We must send a message to Congress that if none of them will begin to form action groups to combat amnesty, begin a sane energy policy that eliminates corn based ethanol in favor of switch grass ethanol and expand drilling,nuclear plants and refining capacity, pass the fair tax, renegotiate fair trade and exponetially expand our counter-intelligence, we will all move to third parties (preferably the Constitution Party).
McCain would just be a continuation of Bush, i.e., globalism.