[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 22 (Thursday, February 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1495-S1496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. HUTCHISON (for herself, Mr. Domenici, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
        Gramm, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Sessions, and Mr. Bingaman):
  S. 353. A bill to provide that a certification of the cooperation of 
Mexico with United States counterdrug efforts not be required in fiscal 
year 2001 for the limitation on assistance for Mexico under section 490 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 not to go into effect in that 
fiscal year, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that will begin to reform our relationship with Mexico, particularly as 
it relates to our partnership in fighting drugs. I am pleased to be 
joined in this effort by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Pete Domenici, Phil 
Gramm, Jon Kyl, and Jeff Sessions, who are cosponsoring the legislation 
I will introduce today.
  As you know, President Bush will visit Mexico on February 16th. He 
will hold a one day summit with Mexico's new President Vicente Fox. 
Improving cooperation between our two countries in the war on drugs 
will figure prominently on the President's agenda when he meets with 
President Fox.
  Now is the time that we take the right first step in our mutual 
efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the United States through 
Mexico.
  Last year, the Senate passed a resolution expressing a Sense of the 
Senate that the incoming new governments in both Mexico and the United 
States must develop and implement a counter-drug program that more 
effectively addresses illegal drug trafficking.
  The resolution stated that a one-year waiver of the requirement that 
the President certify Mexico is warranted to permit both new 
governments time to implement such strategies and programs.
  The legislation I am offering today again provides that a waiver is 
appropriate for this year. It also directs that a long term solution be 
found to the massive drug problem.
  As you know, by March 1, after just six weeks in office, President 
Bush will be required to re-certify to Congress that Mexico is making 
progress in the war on drugs.
  Forcing a confrontation so soon on the most important issue that we 
face with Mexico will serve neither country, and it will not loosen the 
grip that the drug culture has on both of our societies and economies.
  Our bill will authorize a one-year waiver for Mexico from the annual 
certification process. The various reports and assessments prepared by 
the Department of State, the Department of Justice, or the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy will still be required.
  The legislation will simply eliminate the requirement that the 
President in effect ``grade'' Mexico's performance in this area a scant 
12 weeks after a new Mexican President has taken office.
  Our legislation also takes another important step. It asks the 
President, no later than June 30, 2001, to develop and submit to 
Congress, a strategic plan outlining proposed efforts to increase 
cooperation between our two countries in the fight against drugs.
  We need proposals on both sides of the border that will combat drug 
gangs; money laundering; drug smuggling and any other items the 
President believes should be addressed.
  It seems to me that we must look for a comprehensive solution to this 
problem. We must look beyond the certification process--that in many 
ways is broken.
  The strategic plan called for in this resolution should serve as the 
beginning of a new effort in the war against drugs.
  We have two new leaders who are committed to tackling this problem. 
This bill is a good first step for building on the new relationship. I 
submit

[[Page S1496]]

this to the Senate. I hope that we can consider this measure soon.
  I want to say about the new leader of Mexico that he is taking a very 
positive approach and I think an aggressive one.
  It was reported on February 2 of this year in the Washington Post in 
a by-line that has the Mexico City date line that the new head of 
Mexico's customs agency has fired more than 90 people, including 
virtually every manager, in the first major purge of government 
officials since President Fox took office in December.
  Forty-five out of the customs department's 47 supervisors were fired 
on corruption issues. In addition, in the first month of this year 150 
tractor-trailers containing contraband were stopped by the Mexican 
customs office. Last year, for the entire year, 38 tractor-trailers 
were stopped for contraband merchandise.
  That is a good sign. That is a sign that President Fox is going to 
make good on his promise to purge the corruption out of the system. We 
applaud him. That is why I think we should give him a chance to sit 
down with President Bush and work out a cooperative plan, one that is 
not punitive or unilateral but one that is cooperative. It will be in 
the best interest of both our countries to stop the cancer of drug 
trafficking. It is a cancer on both of our societies. The criminal 
element in Mexico certainly takes away from the productivity of that 
country. The criminal element that has arisen in the United States that 
is preying on our children certainly must be stopped.
  I hope we can have an expedited action on this bill because I think 
we can do some good. I intend to talk to our majority leader and the 
chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee to see if we can agree on 
something that will stop this decertification. Let's sit down and do 
something that will produce the results that both of our countries 
want.
                                 ______