Thread: Breaking: Democrats stop bid to send 6,000 troops to border

Bid for more troops to border stopped by Democrats
by Andrew Taylor - May. 27, 2010 09:31 AM
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate on Thursday killed a move by presidential rival John McCain to send an additional 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S-Mexico border.

The Arizona Republican says the security situation along the order has deteriorated so badly that 3,000 guard troops are needed just to help protect his state. Even though McCain won support from a dozen Democrats, he failed to muster the 60-vote supermajority required to adopt his plan under Senate rules.

Democrats also repelled more than $2 billion in additional border security spending proposed by border state Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona.

The action came as the Senate continued debate on an almost $60 billion measure funding Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan, foreign aid and domestic disaster relief.

The GOP proposals were comparable to those made several years ago when many Republicans pressed border security steps, such as a border fence, instead of a more comprehensive approach to overhauling the nation's immigration system. Obama supports comprehensive immigration reforms but prospects for substantive legislation appear bleak in an election year. Just Tuesday, he promised to send 1,200 Guard troops to the border.

In the past, McCain has advocated changes to immigration laws that would give illegal immigrants already in the U.S. an opportunity to earn their citizenship. But as violence along the border has escalated - and in the face of a spirited primary challenge from former Rep. J.D. Hayworth - McCain has adopted a harder line on immigration issues.

"The borders are broken," McCain said Thursday. "We have an obligation to our citizens to secure our border and allow them to lead lives where they not live in fear."

Kyl proposed expanding a program that throws illegal immigrants in jail for two weeks before deporting them back to Mexico, which he said is a deterrent to them trying again.

Cornyn wanted money for state and local law enforcement agencies, unmanned drone aircraft and other equipment, and additional Border Patrol officers and immigration agents.

Both amendments got 54 votes but fell short of the required 60-vote supermajority.

"Until we deal with this broken border, we are not going to be able to deal with other aspects of our broken immigration system," Cornyn said.

A top Democrat said Republicans were throwing money at the problem and urged waiting until Obama sends up his border security plan next week.

"This is a huge amount of money ... from colleagues who talk fiscal moderation," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "It's sort of throwing an enormous amount of money at the problem."

Obama on Tuesday promised to send 1,200 Guard troops to the border to support efforts to block drug trafficking and temporarily supplement Border Patrol agents until more agents can be trained. He also pledged $500 million for improved border security. The money could be added to the measure during House-Senate negotiations.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 27-ON.html

foxnews.com
May 27, 2010 | 3:42 PM ET
Republicans Denied Border Security Beef Up

Senate Republicans were denied a chance Thursday to beef up enforcement and security measures at the U.S. border with Mexico, with one senior Senate Democrat telling them, "We cannot just throw money at this problem."

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, who is leading Senate Democratic efforts to craft a comprehensive immigration reform bill, albeit with no GOP support at this time, called the GOP measures "a grab bag of enormous spending."

President Obama, meanwhile endorsed a comprehensive approach on Thursday, telling reporters that in a closed door meeting with Republicans the previous day, he promised, "I don't even need you to meet me half way, meet me a quarter of the way. I'll bring a majority of Democrats."

But Senate Democrats are not expected to consider a bill this year, if GOP support is not forthcoming.

Instead, the President is expected to send a proposal to Congress next week that calls for $500 million to deploy 1,200 National Guard to the border, fund programs for Drug Enforcement Administration, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The amendments offered Thursday to an emergency spending bill by border state Republicans, including Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, and Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, would have added significant muscle at the border. One, trumpeted by McCain, would have sent 6,000 National Guardsmen to the border.

McCain noted that Obama's deployment of guardsmen is only a fifth of what's really needed, saying, "The borders are broken. There has been improvement. We have shown in San Diego, in Texas, even in the Yuma sector of Arizona, we can secure our border, but we need manpower, surveillance and fences. And we can do it," McCain said, "We have an obligation to our citizens to secure our border and allow them to lead lives where they not live in fear of home invasions, property being destroyed, and well-armed, well-equipped drug smugglers as well as human smugglers operate with, if not impunity, certainly great latitude."

A second amendment would have implemented a muscular, enforcement program called "Operation Streamline" that has resulted in a 94% reduction in illegal border crossings, according to a Kyl aide, since its introduction in 2005. It is currently deployed in Yuma and Del Rio, TX. Price tag of the amendment: $200 million - fully paid for using unspent stimulus funds.

And the last amendment, spearheaded by Cornyn, would have bolstered law enforcement agencies and funds for infrastructure, technology, and equipment to the tune of $2 billion, paid for by stimulus funds that have not been allocated.

"It is in fact the federal government's responsibility to deal with this as the president himself has acknowledged in his recent announcement to send 1,200 additional National Guard to the border. I will tell you that it is a welcome gesture, but it is no more than that a gesture," Cornyn said.

Schumer decried the GOP amendments, which failed to get the necessary 60 votes for passage, as "overmagnified," and "the worst kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul" to use the stimulus funds to pay for border protection, funds that Schumer said are intending to create jobs.

Instead, Schumer said the President's latest approach was the right one, "thoughtful and targeted."

Cornyn, for his part, said he would be happy to join Schumer's comprehensive immigration reform effort if the border is dealt with first. "The problem we have with our broken immigration system is that it is simply not perceived as credible by the American people. Until we deal with this broken border, we are not going to be able to deal with other aspects of our broken immigration system, which I would support an effort to do that," Cornyn said.

http://congress.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/ ... y-beef-up/

see who voted NO on the McCain, Kyl, and Cornyn Amendments

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-200865.html

Originally Posted by Texas2step

Quote:

"HOW THE TRAITORS VOTED

Nays
Voinovich (R-OH)"

George Voinovich clearly favored amnesty legislation in 2006, but finally was browbeaten by his constituents into voting "No" on it. However, Voinovitch will be retiring at the end of 2010. I do not think it is "anti-Catholic" to point out that the loyality of Roman Catholic elected officials such as Voinovitch and Sam Brownback (R-KS), who also is retiring this year, clearly lies with the direction their church has taken on this issue and on the recommendations of Roman Catholic Administrators. There are several other Senators retiring this year in addition to a number of membrs in the House of Representatives, and that is why we should fear a "lame-duck sesssion" passage of amnesty legislation: I believe the latter is Menendez's main strategy to get "CIR legislation" into the Obama "win column" together with health care reform this year.

I'll be sending Sherrod Brown - OH a THANK YOU email.

Originally Posted by magyart

Originally Posted by Texas2step

Quote:

"HOW THE TRAITORS VOTED

Nays
Voinovich (R-OH)"

George Voinovich clearly favored amnesty legislation in 2006, but finally was browbeaten by his constituents into voting "No" on it. However, Voinovitch will be retiring at the end of 2010. I do not think it is "anti-Catholic" to point out that the loyality of Roman Catholic elected officials such as Voinovitch and Sam Brownback (R-KS), who also is retiring this year, clearly lies with the direction their church has taken on this issue and on the recommendations of Roman Catholic Administrators. There are several other Senators retiring this year in addition to a number of membrs in the House of Representatives, and that is why we should fear a "lame-duck sesssion" passage of amnesty legislation: I believe the latter is Menendez's main strategy to get "CIR legislation" into the Obama "win column" together with health care reform this year.

I'll be sending Sherrod Brown - OH a THANK YOU email.

before you write, you need to go look at how Brown voted.
he voted NO on all three amendments. you sure you want to write him a Thank you email????

Originally Posted by jamesw62

Originally Posted by magyart

Originally Posted by Texas2step

Quote:

"HOW THE TRAITORS VOTED

Nays
Voinovich (R-OH)"

George Voinovich clearly favored amnesty legislation in 2006, but finally was browbeaten by his constituents into voting "No" on it. However, Voinovitch will be retiring at the end of 2010. I do not think it is "anti-Catholic" to point out that the loyality of Roman Catholic elected officials such as Voinovitch and Sam Brownback (R-KS), who also is retiring this year, clearly lies with the direction their church has taken on this issue and on the recommendations of Roman Catholic Administrators. There are several other Senators retiring this year in addition to a number of membrs in the House of Representatives, and that is why we should fear a "lame-duck sesssion" passage of amnesty legislation: I believe the latter is Menendez's main strategy to get "CIR legislation" into the Obama "win column" together with health care reform this year.

I'll be sending Sherrod Brown - OH a THANK YOU email.

before you write, you need to go look at how Brown voted.
he voted NO on all three amendments. you sure you want to write him a Thank you email????

Thanks for pointing out my error. I keep forgetting we now have two senators named Brown. BOTH of Ohio's Senators voted to oppose this