Mexico and US Congress

Published in El Heraldo de Mexico
(Mexico) on 12 April 2022
by Martha Bárcena Coqui (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Hannah Bowditch. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
The U.S. Congress is an important player in the relationship with Mexico. Dialogue with Congress should be intensified.

In recent weeks, American delegates have expressed concern about the Biden administration's policy decisions in Mexico: electricity reforms, Mexico’s position on the war in Ukraine and the creation of the Mexico-Russia friendship committee.

Congress is relevant to foreign policy for several reasons: It has jurisdiction over laws related to immigration and trade. The most important committees for these two issues are the Judiciary Committee in both chambers, the Finance Committee in the Senate and the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives, which oversees the implementation of trade agreements, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Congress approves the budget through the Appropriations Committee. Every resource devoted to foreign policy, development cooperation and financing international organizations and other countries is reviewed by them. Finally, the Foreign Affairs committees in both chambers oversee U.S. foreign policy; the Senate committee ratifies the appointments of ambassadors and senior State Department officials.

Partisan division and a series of caucuses or interest groups operate within Congress. There are progressives, African Americans and, in the case of Mexico, the "Hispanic Caucus," made up of delegates of Hispanic origin, mostly Mexican. This group was instrumental in passing USMCA and plays a key role in allocating budgets to projects that are important to the Hispanic community.

Such is the strength of Congress that all the embassies in Washington have special monitoring sections. Many countries pay for lobbying services to gain access to the most powerful members of Congress and influence decisions that affect their countries.

During the two years I was an ambassador in Washington, NO lobbyist services were paid for and there was a fluid dialogue with senators and representatives on issues related to Mexico and the ratification of USMCA. I dedicated a lot of my time to Congress, where I had to constantly explain the Mexican government's positions, identify possible crises and prevent them from erupting. The embassy interacted with the congressional teams and followed up on initiatives that could affect our country.

In this context, dismissing pronouncements by U.S. delegates as interventionist without understanding how they work or their importance, and without identifying those who subscribe to that belief, means failing to understand the central role of the U.S. Congress in its relationship with Mexico.

Democrats and Republicans are upset with the Mexican government for different reasons; they will continue to exert pressure. The Mexican government needs to strengthen its dialogue with Congress.


México y el Congreso de EU

El Congreso de Estados Unidos es un actor fundamental en la relación con México. Conviene intensificar el diálogo con congresistas

En las últimas semanas, congresistas estadounidenses han manifestado preocupaciones al gobierno del presidente Biden sobre decisiones de política en México: la Reforma Eléctrica, la posición mexicana respecto a la guerra de Ucrania y la creación del grupo de amistad México-Rusia.

El Congreso de Estados Unidos es relevante en materia de política exterior por varias razones: tiene competencia sobre las leyes relacionadas con migración y comercio. En estos dos temas los comités más importantes son los Judiciales en ambas Cámaras y el de Finanzas en la Cámara de Senadores y de Medios y Procedimientos en la de Representantes, que supervisan la aplicación de los tratados comerciales, entre ellos el T-MEC.

El Congreso aprueba el presupuesto, por medio de los Comités de Apropiaciones. Todo recurso dedicado a la política exterior, la cooperación al desarrollo, financiamiento a organismos internacionales y a terceros países, es revisado por estos. Finalmente, los Comités de Asuntos Exteriores de ambas Cámaras, supervisan la política exterior de EU, y el del Senado ratifica nombramientos de embajadores y altos funcionarios del Departamento de Estado.

Al interior del Congreso operan la división partidista y una serie de “caucus” o grupos de interés. Existen los progresistas, afroamericanos y, para el caso de México, el “Caucus Hispano”, integrado por congresistas de origen hispano, en su mayoría de origen mexicano. Este grupo fue fundamental para la aprobación del T-MEC y juega un papel esencial en lo relativo a la asignación de presupuesto a proyectos fundamentales para la comunidad hispana.

Es tal la fuerza del Congreso de Estados Unidos que todas las embajadas en Washington tienen secciones especiales de seguimiento. Muchos países pagan servicios de “lobby” o cabildeo, con el fin de tener acceso a los congresistas más poderosos y poder influir en las decisiones que afectan a sus países.

Durante los dos años que fui embajadora en Washington, NO se pagó servicio alguno de cabilderos y se tenía un diálogo fluido con senadores y representantes, para tratar temas relativos a México y a la ratificación del T-MEC. Una buena parte de mi gestión la dediqué al Congreso, donde había que explicar constantemente las posiciones del gobierno de México, identificar posibles crisis para evitar que estallaran. La embajada tenía interacción con los equipos de los congresistas y daba seguimiento puntual a las iniciativas que pudieran afectar a nuestro país.

En este contexto, desechar por intervencionistas los pronunciamientos de congresistas estadounidenses, sin entender su funcionamiento e importancia e identificar a quienes los suscriben, significa no comprender el papel central del Congreso de EU en la relación con México.

Demócratas y republicanos están molestos con el gobierno de México por diferentes razones, seguirán ejerciendo presión. El gobierno de México debería reforzar su diálogo con congresistas.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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