Politics: Morena's legislative agenda for the new legislative period — between U.S. demands and electoral strategy
The congressional session that opened on September 1 clearly reflects the Sheinbaum government's dual agenda ahead of the 2027 midterm and gubernatorial elections. Of the 31 items originally proposed by Morena's legislators, the Office of the Legal Counsel to the Presidency narrowed the agenda to thirteen, underscoring the Executive's control over the Legislature. Among these, a package of USMCA-related reforms responding to U.S. pressure stands out, most notably, the introduction of a national security filter on foreign investment, designed at bottom to curb the advance of Chinese capital in strategic sectors (semiconductors, energy, telecommunications, AI, among others), alongside copyright and industrial-property reforms requested by the USTR.
In contrast, the government is simultaneously pursuing a national-sovereignty agenda aimed at its own political base, driven by two factors: to avoid the extradition request for the governor of Sinaloa and other officials linked to drug trafficking, and concern that Washington might back opposition candidates, as has happened in other Latin American countries. This has produced initiatives such as the requirement of sole Mexican nationality for the Presidency, state governorships, and the Head of Government of Mexico City, and the pending implementing law on nullifying elections due to foreign interference. This combination of economic accommodation toward the U.S. and sovereigntist rhetoric has been flagged as a contradiction that could erode the government's credibility with both domestic and foreign actors.
The agenda also includes substantive reforms such as a new General Law on Ecological Balance—the most significant overhaul of the environmental framework in nearly three decades—and a General Law on Femicide seeking to standardize the criminal offense nationwide, although its effectiveness will hinge on institutional and prosecutorial capacities that remain insufficient today. Finally, the 2027 expenditure budget confirms that, despite fiscal constraints, cash transfers to the population will keep growing at the expense of public investment and areas such as health and education — reflecting that sustaining electoral support through social spending remains the government's central political priority above any other consideration.
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