The Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee this week condemned a threat from Mexico's president to actively campaign against the Republican Party after GOP lawmakers threatened to hold Mexico accountable for violent drug cartel activity along and across the southwestern U.S. border.

After the cartel-related death of two Americans this month, Republicans pushed the Biden administration to list drug cartels as terror organizations, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned that if Mexico does not get tougher on the cartels, then Mexico is an "enemy of the United States."

That prompted Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to warn that Mexico might start an "information campaign" to persuade Mexican Americans to leave the Republican Party. Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., who led a delegation of committee members to Mexico this week, rejected Obrador's comments as "unacceptable."

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"Recent comments about American elections are completely unacceptable and undermine our shared goals of promoting safety and encouraging peaceful trade between our nations," said Smith, R-Mo., in a late Monday statement.

Obrador had warned that Mexico's campaign would be aimed at telling Mexican Americans "how this initiative by the Republicans, in addition to being irresponsible, is an offense against the people of Mexico."

"And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propaganda, electoral, and political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, because it is interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt," the Mexican leader said.

Smith led Republicans and Democrats to Mexico to meet with Obrador this week and press him to adhere to the three-way trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada known as USMCA.

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There has been growing tension between the two countries over Mexico's recent ban on genetically modified corn grown in the U.S. Even White House officials have signaled their concern over the potentially billions of dollars that could be lost.

While there, the chairman said he also condemned the kidnappings of Americans in the northern border state of Tamaulipas, which resulted in the deaths of two of the U.S. citizens.

"We appreciate President López Obrador meeting with our bipartisan delegation where we reaffirmed the importance of the longstanding partnership between our countries and its impact on American farmers and workers," Smith said. "U.S. crop producers and energy investors are relying on Mexico to honor its USMCA obligations and to treat U.S. biotech crops fairly… As America’s largest trading market, access to the Mexican consumer is vital for American family farmers, manufacturers, and energy producers."

Smith said lawmakers also "reiterated to President López Obrador our shared commitment to ending cartel violence and the export of fentanyl across our border, which has harmed Mexicans and Americans alike."

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"The delegation condemns the recent kidnapping and murder of Americans and appreciates the Mexican government’s assistance in pursuing justice for the two slain Americans. Creating a secure border will ensure our countries can continue economic cooperation that allows our citizens to thrive," the chairman said.

Obrador declared that Mexico was "safer" than the U.S. during a Monday press conference while facing scrutiny over his government's response to the kidnappings and its ability to control crime.

The electric Ford Mustang Mach-E received the highest crash safety scores of 13 midsize SUVs recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for injury protection in a "moderate overlap front" collision.

The tests included second row passenger safety ratings for and the Mustang Mach-E was the only model to receive a perfect score in the test, which simulates a vehicle being struck in the front off-center.

"All these vehicles provide excellent protection for the driver," said IIHS President David Harkey, "but only a handful extend that level of safety to the back seat."

The test uses a dummy designed to replicate a small woman or 12-year-old child.

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It monitors how well the seatbelt works to restrain them, including avoiding contact with the front seat, applying too much pressure to their body or allowing them to "submarine" under the lap belt over five categories.

The Mustang Mach-E received top Good score on all driver and rear passenger ratings, while the Model Y ranked Acceptable for Rear passenger restraints & kinematics, because it allowed the passenger's head to get to close to the front seat. The electric Tesla was rated Good in the other nine categories and overall. The four possible scores are Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor.

The Ford Explorer and Subaru Ascent also received overall Good scores, but were rated Acceptable on two rear passenger metrics.

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The Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Highlander, and Volkswagen Atlas earned Marginal overall scores due to their rear seat performance, while the Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Mazda CX-9 and Nissan Murano were given Poor ratings.

All the ratings covered 2023 models except for the Pilot which was a 2022 as it was fully redesigned this year, but has not been tested yet.

"Zeroing in on weaknesses in rear seat safety is an opportunity to make big gains in a short time, since solutions that are already proven to work in the front can successfully be adapted for the rear," said IIHS Senior Research Engineer Marcy Edwards.