Senate denies funds for new border fence

[CountFloyd]

Senate denies funds for new border fence

By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 14, 2006

Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it.

"We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote. "The things we do often sound very good, but we never quite get there."

Mr. Sessions offered his amendment to authorize $1.8 billion to pay for the fencing that the Senate voted 83-16 to build along high-traffic areas of the border with Mexico. In the same vote on May 17, the Senate also directed 500 miles of vehicle barriers to be built along the border.

But the May vote simply authorized the fencing and vehicle barriers, which on Capitol Hill is a different matter from approving the federal expenditures needed to build it.

"If we never appropriate the money needed to construct these miles of fencing and vehicle barriers, those miles of fencing and vehicle barriers will never actually be constructed," Mr. Sessions told his colleagues yesterday before the vote.

Virtually all Democrats were joined by the chamber's lone independent and 28 Republicans in opposing Mr. Session's amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Only two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Thomas R. Carper of Delaware -- supported funding the fence.

All told, 34 senators -- including most of the Republican leadership -- voted in May to build the fence but yesterday opposed funding it.
The overall bill, which appropriates more than $32 billion to the Homeland Security Department, including $2.2 billion for border security and control, passed on a 100-0 vote last night.

Sen. Judd Gregg, the New Hampshire Republican who historically has fought to increase border security and enforcement of federal immigration laws, was among those who opposed Mr. Session's amendment.

"We should build these walls; there's no question about it," he said. "But the real issue here is the offset that's being used, and the offset creates a Hobson's choice for almost everyone here."

Mr. Session's amendment would have required across-the-board cuts to the rest of the Homeland Security appropriations bill, Mr. Gregg said, which would mean cutting 750 new border-patrol agents and 1,200 new detention beds for illegal aliens that he included in the bill.

"We've attempted very hard to increase Border Patrol agents in this bill, increase detention beds," he said. "And, yes, we haven't funded the wall specifically as a result of our efforts to do these increases."

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060 ... -1188r.htm

[dman1200]

Seriously, who here didn't see this one coming?

"We should build these walls; there's no question about it," he said. "But the real issue here is the offset that's being used, and the offset creates a Hobson's choice for almost everyone here."

Mr. Session's amendment would have required across-the-board cuts to the rest of the Homeland Security appropriations bill, Mr. Gregg said, which would mean cutting 750 new border-patrol agents and 1,200 new detention beds for illegal aliens that he included in the bill.

"We've attempted very hard to increase Border Patrol agents in this bill, increase detention beds," he said. "And, yes, we haven't funded the wall specifically as a result of our efforts to do these increases."

Oh, but of course they would never consider cutting all of the billions of dollars they spend on illegal alien freebies to fund money for the fence.

[CCUSA]

They do not keep their promises. Just another reason not to trust them if we give into the shamnesty plan for immigraton. Which will never happen! Their just lip service. They would never enforce the immigration laws. We don't believe a word they say! If we have billions to protect Iraq and Afganastan, we have enough to protect Americans from a foreign invasion with a fence!

Everyone that voted it down should be fired! I cannot wait until November!

We should get together all of the anit-illegal immigration movements together and have one big march in Washington, maybe then we will get our point across!

[Virginiamama]

They can't be trusted!

[loservillelabor]

How about giving GW the line item veto? Trust him?

[Jean]

Would someone please explain to me what this statement means?

"We should build these walls; there's no question about it," he said. "But the real issue here is the offset that's being used, and the offset creates a Hobson's choice for almost everyone here."

Thanks!

[Richard]

A Maricopa County Arizona style detention facility like those built by George Arpaio would be much easier to finance. Rather than catch and release there would be jail. Just in and of itself having it would be a real deterent to illegal immigration because fewer people would want to be incarcerated there.

[nittygritty]

I think these leaders who voted against securing our border should be charged with obstruction of justice against their own law to build this fence and dereliction of duty as elected leaders of our country in their failure to make safe and secure our country's borders against the invasion by another country, notably Mexico, and the great possiblity of allowing terroist to enter our country by crossing these unsecure borders, and causing great harm to American Citizens.

THIS IS WAR, WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS AN ACT OF TREASON BY DELIBERATELY TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE SAFETY OF AMERICA.

[WavTek]

This is a prime example of why we must insist on border security/law enforcement first. Congress simply can't be trusted to do what they say they will.

[MountainDog]

It's not just the poloticians folks, it's the enviromentalist!
Out where I live there is some fencing but we also have this cute little toad they have to make tunnels for and they have to leave holes in it so that rabbits and deer can pass through and they are not allowed to dam up any seasonal streams.
I'am sure the fence makes it more difficult for them and it does allow Border Patrol to watch certain areas better but there will always be holes in it.