Delay in aid for Mexico targeted

GOP to investigate; $1.4 billion to be used to help fight drug thugs.

By Gary Martin/gmartin@express-news.net
Published: 12:04 a.m., Monday, February 7, 2011

WASHINGTON — Republicans are using their new clout in Congress to investigate the delay in sending U.S. military hardware and training programs to Mexico that were called for by the 3-year-old, $1.4 billion Mérida Initiative.

The scrutiny comes as drug-related violence in Mexico continues to escalate and U.S. aid to Mexico appears tied up in bureaucratic red tape.

“The slow pace of Mérida’s implementation has been disappointing,â€