POTUSRECORDThe office changes.Barack Obama / Obama / Rule of law & crime
2009–2010 · inherited program
Equipment and training delivered · outcome measures incomplete
Historical case snapshot · reviewed
Published · Visual edition October 6, 2026
Compare this casePUBLICATION-MADE RECORD DIAGRAM
Visual guide: Mérida: inherited cooperation, rule-of-law revision and incomplete outcome measures. U.S. Government Accountability Office and the linked official records supply the evidence below. This diagram is not a photograph, chronology of legal effect or measure of success.
The initiative began under George W. Bush in October 2007, with initial funding law in June 2008. Obama continued implementation and revised the goals with Mexico in 2009. This is the July 2010 oversight snapshot.
The 2009 four-pillar revision included disrupting organized criminal groups and institutionalizing reforms to sustain the rule of law and respect for human rights.
The Obama administration continued the initiative and revised its goals with Mexico. GAO documented five Bell helicopters delivered in December 2009 and 4,392 public-safety investigators trained from July 2009 to January 2010.
Training and equipment delivery are confirmed implementation outputs. GAO found that State generally lacked indicators to measure program outcomes and that most indicators counted outputs such as officials trained, limiting assessment of the initiative’s effect on crime or institutional performance.
As of March 31, 2010, 46 percent of fiscal-year 2008–2010 Mérida funds had been obligated and about 9 percent expended. Almost all performance measures lacked measurable targets and milestones. Equipment delivery and a rule-of-law objective do not establish reduced violence or successful use of training.
OFFICIAL EVIDENCE / FULL SOURCE REGISTER
Source dates identify the original publication, document or stated vintage. The review date identifies when this edition examined that evidence.