Bipartisan Bill Would Require Accountability and State Department Plan to Dismantle Mexican Cartels

The senators want ‘performance indicators’ and a way to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. aid to Mexico in battle against criminal organizations.

Mexican soldiers stand guard near burning vehicles on a street during an operation to arrest Ovidio Guzman, accused of leading a faction of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, on Jan. 5, 2023. Juan Carlos Cruz/AFP via Getty Images

The bipartisan Mexico Security Assistance Accountability Act introduced in the Senate on May 15 would require the State Department to come up with a strategy to dismantle the Mexican drug cartels with measurable goals.

Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced the legislation targeting the cartels on May 15, noting in a press release that the U.S. government spent $3 billion over more than a decade helping Mexico with security and yet despite this, the cartels “have gained significant ground.”