Overview of the 2026 Budget Proposal
The Mexican government’s 2026 budget proposal, presented to the Chamber of Deputies on September 8, includes a 15.4% real increase in resources allocated to combating corruption compared to 2025. This amounts to an additional 1,278 million pesos, bringing the total to 9,599 million pesos from the previous year’s 8,320 million pesos.
New Recipients of Anti-Corruption Funds
A notable aspect of this proposal is the inclusion of 16 previously unfunded secretariats and organizations in the anti-corruption efforts. These entities will now receive resources, whereas they had no allocation in 2025:
- Gobernación (100 million pesos)
- Defensa Nacional (572.4 million pesos)
- Agricultura (33.2 million pesos)
- Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (13 million pesos)
- Salud (165.2 million pesos)
- Marina (20.1 million pesos)
- Trabajo (3.2 million pesos)
- Desarrollo Agrario (25.7 million pesos)
- Medio Ambiente (26.7 million pesos)
- Energía (12.3 million pesos)
- Turismo (29.1 million pesos)
- Tribunales Agrarios (4 million pesos)
- Ciencia (72.4 million pesos)
- Cultura (58.4 million pesos)
- Seguro Social (339.7 million pesos)
- IMSS-Bienestar (196.6 million pesos)
- ISSSTE (Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado, with the largest increase among new entities at 1,693 million pesos)
Budget Cuts for Existing Institutions
However, some existing institutions with previous anti-corruption funding will face budget reductions:
- Secretaría de Educación Pública: from 1,141 million pesos to 237 million pesos, a 79.1% decrease, the largest cut among institutions.
- Secretaría de Hacienda: from 645 million pesos to 216 million pesos, a 66.4% decrease.
- Secretaría Anticorrupción: from 1,284 million pesos to 834 million pesos, a 34.9% decrease.
- Fiscalía Anticorrupción federal: a 4.6% real decrease.
Concerns Over Resource Distribution and Transparency
Experts have raised concerns about the proposed distribution of these resources. Sarahí Salvatierra, coordinator of the accountability and anti-corruption program at Fundar, warns that allocating funds to 16 previously unfunded entities may lead to opaqueness and discretion.
“The proposal does not specify how these strategies will be implemented in certain areas, which results in a lack of transparency or potential opaqueness,” Salvatierra said in an interview.
She points out that broad objectives, like those set for the Ministry of Culture, could allow resources to be diverted away from anti-corruption efforts. Similarly, programs like IMSS-Bienestar mention only general support for public function and good governance without outlining specific actions.
Natalia Campos, coordinator of Sociedad at the Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (IMCO), echoes these concerns, stating that while the allocated amounts are relatively small compared to each entity’s overall budget, the lack of clarity on how these resources will contribute to anti-corruption efforts creates more uncertainty.
Both experts emphasize the need for better alignment between Anexo 30 and Mexico’s National Anti-Corruption Policy, which should clearly define prevention, detection, investigation, and sanction strategies.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main focus of the 2026 budget proposal? The proposal prioritizes increasing resources for combating corruption by 15.4% compared to 2025.
- Which secretariats and organizations will receive funding for the first time? Sixteen entities, including Gobernación, Defensa Nacional, Agricultura, Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes, Salud, Marina, Trabajo, Desarrollo Agrario, Medio Ambiente, Energía, Turismo, Tribunales Agrarios, Ciencia, Cultura, Seguro Social, and IMSS-Bienestar.
- Which institutions will face budget cuts? Secretaría de Educación Pública, Secretaría de Hacienda, Secretaría Anticorrupción, and Fiscalía Anticorrupción federal.
- What concerns do experts have about the resource distribution? Experts worry that the lack of clarity in how resources will be used may lead to opaqueness and discretion, with potential misallocation away from anti-corruption efforts.
