House version of FY2010 Defense Appropriations Bill allocates $160 million to Mexico for radios
The Washington Post reported yesterday that the House version of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill allocates $160 million to help Mexico's police buy U.S.-made "first-responder" radios. Not only does this specific allocation divert from the usual way aid is allocated within the Defense Appropriations Bill every year (it usually must be specifically authorized first), but the amount also equals 35% of the total military and police aid requested by the Obama Administration for Mexico in 2010 Foreign Operations budget ($451,095,000). According to the Washington Post article, this $160 million allocation "is a major purchase that one radio manufacturer got rolling, 12 members of Congress formally requested and a powerful defense appropriations chairman championed... But details of the plan to pump Pentagon money into Mexico's crime-fighting efforts are cloaked in vaguely worded language in the House defense bill." The article continues, "The language in the $636 billion bill, which the House Appropriations defense subcommittee approved last week, discloses neither the specific purpose of the radio project nor the dozen lawmakers who asked Chairman John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to include it." The article does not list the names of the 12 members of Congress, however it does mention that "the names of sponsoring lawmakers were included in a June 19 letter sent to appropriators that was signed by Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) and others. Seven are from Illinois, the home state of the communications firm Motorola, which initiated the request, according to Rush's staff. The five others are from border states." In addition to Rep. Rush, the article mentions Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL). While Motorola is not mentioned by name in the bill, and Matt Mazonkey, Rep. Murtha's spokesman, told the Washington Post that "the Defense Department has the discretion to decide which company would best provide the first-responder radios to Mexico," Motorola "manufactures a class of radios whose specifications fit the technology described in the lawmakers' request." The House Appropriations Committee approved the bill on Wednesday, however neither the committee report nor the text of the bill have been posted online yet. Once they are, we will be sure to post them to the Just the Facts Legislation page.