Domestic policy
During his first month in office, he advanced the presentation of a new social program starting in 2025, the Pensión Mujeres Bienestar,[160] commenting that its purpose would be to provide bimonthly financial assistance to women aged 60 to 64.[161][162] He also renamed the Benito Juárez Scholarship to the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez Universal Scholarship, and expanded the program with the intention of granting financial support bimonthly to all families with children who study in the public basic education system.[163].
On October 22, 2024, Sheinbaum announced the merger of SEGALMEX and DICONSA to Alimentación para el Bienestar, with the aim of supporting small local producers, offering quality products at affordable prices and contributing to food self-sufficiency.[164] With the merger, the more than 24,500 DICONSA stores, present in 90% of the country's municipalities, will be reorganized, rehabilitated and renamed as Wellness Stores to Generate Happiness.[165].
Sheinbaum reiterated his commitment to avoiding a new war against drug trafficking and extrajudicial executions, and emphasized that he would maintain his predecessor's "hugs, not bullets" strategy. He proposed Omar García Harfuch to direct the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection,[166] and stated that his focus would be on prevention, intelligence and the presence of authorities; just as she did when she was Head of Government of Mexico City.[167][168].
Weeks before she was sworn in as president, a violent conflict broke out between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel in Sinaloa. In response, Sheinbaum, as president, sent a task force composed of soldiers from the Mexican Army, members of the National Guard, and agents from the National Intelligence Center "Centro Nacional de Intelligence (Mexico)") to address the violence.[169][170] Several high-ranking cartel figures were captured, including "El Caño" and "El Max."[171][172] In the midst of a shootout in which 19 members were killed of the cartel, Sheinbaum protected the murders as the army's right to defend itself.[173].
During the first months of his presidency, the homicide rate decreased by approximately 25%, with daily homicides falling from 86.9 at the start of his term to 64.5 in May 2025.[174] Other high-impact crimes, including kidnappings and bank robberies, also decreased during this period, although extortion incidents and the number of disappearances have continued to increase,[175] with around 8,000 new cases. of missing persons reported during the same period.[176] His government reported significant increases in drug seizures; By June 2025, authorities had confiscated approximately 178 tons of narcotics, including 3 million fentanyl pills, from 1,150 clandestine laboratories.[177][178] Efforts to combat the theft of fuel, known as huachicol, also expanded, with multiple seizures made at sea and at illegal refineries across the country.[179].
Despite reported progress, Sheinbaum's presidency has been characterized by persistent cartel violence. Clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel contributed to a more than 400% increase in homicides in Sinaloa during the first half of 2025, prompting the federal deployment of additional forces and the arrest of mid- and high-ranking members of both factions.[180][181] In March 2025, authorities discovered a training camp in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, allegedly used by the Sinaloa Cartel. Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as a forced recruitment center, which resulted in the arrest of a dozen people, including the mayor of the municipality and alleged CJNG recruiter, known as "El Comandante Lastra". Lima of the state and a wave of murders directed against public and community leaders, including the murder of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, in November 2025.[184][185][186].
After Manzo's murder, several protests were organized against Sheinbaum's government. Protesters cited the assassination of the mayor, the government's failure to curb cartel violence, and government corruption as their reasons for mobilizing.[187][188] A common chant at these protests was: "Carlos didn't die, the government killed him", underscoring their belief that government corruption is intertwined with the influence of cartels and the wave of political assassinations occurring under his administration.[189].
The administration has also faced high-profile corruption scandals. In September 2025, a fuel theft investigation implicated federal agents, businessmen and senior officials of the Mexican Navy, including Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna, authorities arrested 14 people in connection with the case. Barredora*", which allegedly had state police and patrols to protect its drug trafficking and fuel theft operations.[192][193].
On November 4, 2025, Sheinbaum was harassed on a street in downtown Mexico City while interacting with other people; The aggressor was later arrested.[194] Sheinbaum decided to press charges so that he could serve as an example to Mexican women.[195].
On October 30, 2024, he published a constitutional amendment that reestablishes the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and Pemex as public entities, effectively reversing much of the 2013 energy reform. The amendment mandates that the CFE maintain a 54% participation in electricity generation, and that the remaining 46% be managed by private companies under regulated conditions to prioritize public needs over profits.[196]
Sheinbaum pledged to further expand Mexico's passenger rail network,[197] publishing a constitutional amendment that restored the authority of the Mexican State to use railway lines for passenger transportation services.[198] In October 2024, he announced the start of construction of two major railway lines: the Mexico-Pachuca line, which would connect Felipe Ángeles International Airport with Pachuca,[199] and the México-Querétaro, which would link Mexico City with the Querétaro Intercontinental Airport.[200].
Sheinbaum has continued his predecessor's practice of employing the SEDENA Corps of Military Engineers to build government infrastructure projects.[199].
Upon assuming office, Sheinbaum openly supported the judicial reform project approved by Andrés Manuel López Obrador in his final weeks as president, despite continued legal appeals seeking to overturn it. As the Supreme Court prepared to rule on the bill, Sheinbaum asserted that the judiciary lacked authority over constitutional amendments.[201][202] On October 31, 2024, he published a bill enshrining constitutional supremacy, limiting legal challenges to constitutional amendments strictly to procedural grounds.[203].
On November 1, 2024, Sheinbaum sent an initiative to Congress requesting changes to the structure of Mexico's cabinet. The changes include the creation of a Women's Secretariat "Secretaría de las Mujeres (México)"), which would replace the National Women's Institute "Instituto Nacional de las Mujeres (México)"); a Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, which would succeed the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies; and a Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency. The Public Service Secretariat would be restructured as the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Secretariat, assuming the responsibilities and authority of the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI).[204].
On February 5, 2025, Sheinbaum presented to Congress a constitutional reform proposal aimed at prohibiting immediate re-election and preventing family members of incumbent officials from running for the same office.[205] Although Sheinbaum initially proposed that the reforms take effect in 2027, the Senate postponed their implementation until 2030.[206] The bill was published on April 1.[207].
Foreign policy
In October 2024, relations with the American ambassador, which had been suspended due to his criticism of judicial reform, were resumed.[208] Sheinbaum described the new diplomatic protocols that were required for the ambassador, Ken Salazar, to communicate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Secretaría de Economía Exterior (Mexico)") to interact with the federal government, and noted that Salazar had previously communicated directly with members of the Cabinet of Mexico.[209][210] On November 6, he congratulated the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, for his victory in the presidential elections.[211][212].
On October 12, 2024, he expressed support for the two-state solution, emphasizing that recognizing both Israel and Palestine was necessary to achieve peace in the Middle East. He also condemned the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, the subsequent violence against Gaza, and other acts of aggression in the region. Like his predecessor, Sheinbaum maintained a stance of neutrality and called for a more proactive role for the United Nations.[213][214].
The first meetings as head of state that she held with her foreign counterparts occurred in the context of her inauguration; these were Bernardo Arévalo (Guatemala), Johnny Briceño (Belize), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Gabriel Boric (Chile), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Miguel Díaz-Canel (Cuba), Roosevelt Skerrit (Dominica), Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic), Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana), Xiomara Castro (Honduras), Mohamed Menfi (Libya), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), Bucharaya Hamudi Beyun (Sahrawi Republic) and Philip J. Pierre (Saint Lucia).[215].
The first trip abroad occurred in November 2024, when he went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the 19th G20 summit of heads of state and government. In it, the president proposed allocating one percent of world military spending on a global reforestation program, to mitigate the effects of global warming; He also suggested reform of the United Nations Security Council to expand the representation of Africa, Latin America and island states. Parallel to the summit, he held meetings with different leaders, including Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, Anthony Albanese of Australia, Joe Biden of the United States, Justin Trudeau of Canada, Xi Jinping of China, Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Phạm Minh Chính of Vietnam, Emmanuel Macron of France, Gabriel Boric of Chile and the host Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.[216][217][218].
Within the framework of the traditional summits of heads of state and government that Mexican leaders usually attend, in November 2024, two were held that President Sheinbaum did not attend. First, between the 12th and 15th, the XXIX Ibero-American Summit in Cuenca "Cuenca (Ecuador)"), Ecuador; Mexico did not send any representative to it, due to the breakdown of relations between it and the host country. Then, between the 15th and 16th, in Lima, Peru, the APEC Leaders Summit was held; In this, the undersecretary of international trade, within the Ministry of Economy "Secretaría de Economía (Mexico)"), Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, was sent as a representative, due to the distance between Mexico and the host country since the deposition of Pedro Castillo. However, both international meetings were marked by absenteeism, among other things, due to the overlapping dates of these two and the aforementioned G-20 summit.[219][220].