Five Dem Congressmen say Rick Perry not spending security money on the border

Wed, May 12, 2010

The five congressmen who represent South Texas are asking the federal Government Accountability Office to audit where homeland security funds are being spent. They are claiming that only 3 percent of the $500 million sent to Texas over the past four years is being allocated along the border.

Those homeland security grants are doled out by Rick Perry, and the congressmen -- pointing to Perry's rhetoric about border security -- said the governor needs to stop blaming Congress when he is spending so little of what he gets from Washington on the border area.

In a letter sent to the governor on April 8, the congressmen said, "We believe the border communities are not receiving their fair share of homeland security funding provided to Texas."

Perry was asked about the 3 percent figure in a press conference yesterday. According to the Rio Grande Guardian, he replied, "I disagree with their analysis of where the dollars have gone. The idea that only 3 percent have gone to the border... you have just heard a substantial number of mayors talk about the dollars that we have addressed along the border."

Perry said homeland security dollars are not just for protecting the border.

"When you have drug gangs in Houston, Texas, we are going to cut off the head of the snake wherever it crawls to and it's not just the counties along the border where the impact of these drug cartels are making their impact. It is all through the state of Texas," Perry said.

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