Mexican soldiers will get a pay raise after elimination of oversight agencies, president says

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president says much of the money gained by eliminating independent oversight and regulatory agencies will go to the army to fund a rise in soldiers’ pay. The announcement by President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday is the latest in a a series of strange funding sources to pay for the country’s increasingly influential military. Mexico’s Congress last week approved charging every cruise ship passenger a $42 immigration fee with much of that money also going to the armed forces. The military has been given powers to build and run everything from railways, airports and airlines in Mexico. And some of those projects appear to be losing money.