Excerpts From the Daily Press Briefing Pertaining to Western Hemisphere Affairs Full Briefing
QUESTION: Yeah. On this bill – you had requested 450 million for Mexico for the Merida
Initiative, and last year Congress had agreed to it and now cut that funding to 300 million. Could you talk a little bit about that? What – how the program that you want to institute is going to be affected by that 150 million in cuts? And also, the bill also kind of denies funding to the Executive Branch to enforce restrictions on travel and remittances and cash advance sales to Cuba. If you could –
MR. WOOD: Well, there’s not really much I can say at this point with regard to the bill. When we’re able to talk a little bit more and I have some more details, we’ll be happy to do that. I don’t have anything at this point that I can give you on that, Elise.
QUESTION: You don’t know – I mean, you don’t know what this cut in funding will do to the Merida Initiative?
MR. WOOD: We will obviously have to look at all of these particular items. I just don’t have an assessment at this point. But as soon as we are able to give you that, we’ll be happy to do so.
QUESTION: And you don’t know specifically what this – what the cut in funding for Cuba to enforce Cuba restrictions does to the restrictions that are in place?
MR. WOOD: No, but I think with regard to the Cuba portion of that, I’d probably refer you to Treasury, because Treasury can give you more specifics with regard to, you know, what can and can’t happen under sanctions.
