Thread: Bush agrees to sign approved "Fence Bill"

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Congress OKs border fence
$70 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan also approved
Suzanne Gamboa, The Associated Press

http://www.sbsun.com/ci_4422347


WASHINGTON - Republicans will go into the elections with a message that they've made great strides fighting illegal immigration, including authorizing a fence along one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border and making a $1.2 billion down payment on it.

Among its final tasks before leaving to campaign, the Senate on Friday night passed and sent to President Bush a bill authorizing 700 new miles of fencing on the southern border. No one knows how much it will cost, but a separate bill also on the way to the White House makes a $1.2 billion down payment on it. A 14-mile segment of fence under construction in San Diego is costing $126.5 million.

The Senate on Friday also unanimously approved $70 billion more for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a record Pentagon budget.

The bill, now on its way to the White House for President Bush's signature, totals $448 billion. It was passed by a 100-0 vote after minimal debate.

Approval by a comfortable margin came despite intense partisan divisions over the course of the Iraq war, which is costing about $8 billion a month. Another infusion of money will be needed next spring.

At the White House, President Bush said he would sign the bill and thanked Congress "for passing legislation that will provide our men and women in uniform with the necessary resources to protect our country and win the war on terror."

As for the fence bill, it was passed by the House two weeks ago. The Senate vote on it Friday night was 80-19.

In addition to money for staring work on the fence, a homeland security bill Congress was completing Friday includes $380 million to hire 1,500 more Border Patrol agents and money to build detention facilities to hold 6,700 more illegal immigrants until they can be deported.

"We have made giant steps in terms of our ability to control illegal immigration," House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.

The fence bill became House Republicans' immigration focus in September after they abandoned President Bush's call to bring millions of illegal immigrants into the American mainstream.

In addition to the money in the homeland security spending bill, Boehner cited Bush's deployment of the National Guard on the border and more frequent arrests of illegal immigrants at work sites.

"The perception that has been painted mistakenly is that the United States government, our Congress is not delivering to the American people on a huge problem that's out there," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "We're active."

Democrats and immigration advocates say Republicans can hardly claim victory.

House Republicans failed to win measures for deporting immigrant gang members and empowering local police to enforce immigration laws. Their biggest obstacle turned out to be another Republican, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francuisco, said the border security achievements trumpeted by Republicans don't measure up to the more comprehensive reforms her party backed. What the GOP calls achievements fall "very far short of what Democrats have proposed over and over and over again," she said.

After a debate that stretched over three months, the Senate in May passed a sweeping immigration bill that combined tougher border enforcement measures with new guest worker programs and a plan to give millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. a shot at citizenship.

Despite Bush's ringing endorsement of the measure, the House would have no part of it, sticking to the bill it passed five months earlier that would treat illegal immigrants and people who offer them aid as felons.

Rather

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than negotiate a compromise with the Senate, Republican leaders plucked out many provisions of the House bill for new votes in both the House and Senate over the past two weeks.

"It's been two years of high visibility, high volume debate in terms of which way to go in the immigration system," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.

In the end the debate ended in a tie, he said.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., called the fence "a bumper sticker solution for a complex problem."

"It's a feel-good plan that will have little effect in the real world," he said. "We all know what this is about. It may be good politics, but it's bad immigration policy. That's not what Americans want."

Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., made a 11th-hour appeal to colleagues to include in the fence bill a measure to help the agriculture industry, which relies heavily on undocumented workers.

Those workers have become harder to find because of increased border enforcement and availability of jobs for the workers in construction and other industries, they said. Consumers ultimately will pay the price for that at the grocery store, they added.

"Pickers are few and the growers blame Congress," Craig said, reading a news headline. "The growers ought to blame Congress. They ought to blame a government that has been dysfunctional in an area of immigration that has been problem for decades."

As for The House-Senate compromise bill on military operations, it provides $378 billion for core Pentagon programs, about a 5 percent increase, though slightly less than Bush asked for. The $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan is a down payment on war costs the White House has estimated will hit $110 billion for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.

Congress has now approved $507 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and heightened security at overseas military bases since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The war in Iraq has cost $379 billion and the conflict in Afghanistan now totals $97 billion.

The Iraq war continues to be unpopular with voters, according to opinion polls, but even Democratic opponents of the war voted for the Pentagon measure, which provides funding for body armor and other support for U.S. troops overseas.

"America is in deep trouble in Iraq," said Kennedy. "The continuing violence and death is ominous.... Militias are growing in strength and continue to operate outside the law. Death squads are rampant."

The growing price tag of the Iraq conflict is partly driven by the need to repair and replace military equipment worn out in harsh, dusty conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan or destroyed in battle. Almost $23 billion was approved for Army, Marine Corps and National Guard equipment such as helicopters, armored Humvees, Bradley armored fighting vehicles, radios and night-vision equipment.

Lawmakers allotted $1.9 billion for new jammers to counter improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan and $1 billion is provided for body armor and other personal protective gear.

Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contribited to this report. ww.sbsun.com/ci_4422347

Actually, no where in this article does it say that Bush agreed to sign the fence bill. He agreed to sign the $448 BILLION war bill.

WASHINGTON - Republicans will go into the elections with a message that they've made great strides fighting illegal immigration, including authorizing a fence along one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border and making a $1.2 billion down payment on it.

I rest my case

All this hoopla for a mere 700 miles. What a shrewd move on their part.

Actually, no where in this article does it say that Bush agreed to sign the fence bill. He agreed to sign the $448 BILLION war bill.

Yep, noticed that too.

said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "We're active."

"We're active."

No you're not. You're slugs.

We're active, not you, you former Shamnesty Lover.

The ONLY reason the US Senate passed this Border Fence Bill is because of ALIPAC, all the other groups fighting illegal immigration, Lou Dobbs and the American People who would have thrown your butts out of Congress if you hadn't done something.

And if you think 2008 is going to come along without HB 4437 passed by the US Senate Chamber of Traitors...then another one/third of your "body" will be outed in that election.

Tattoo this on your foreheads....if you don't do what WE WANT, you will Pay on Election Day.

Very Simple. It's called "freedom and democracy".

See...we vote and give you employment to work for US. If you don't work for US, then we vote again and put you on the unemployment line. And when we find out you actually worked against US, then we'll throw your pond scum butts in jail for Treason.

See? It's a very very simple "system" we have here in the United States when you get right down to the meat of the matter....and Incombunet Lattes and Germs....we're way through your buns and condiments...we're deep mining in the meat now...and we're not at all pleased with what we've unearthed.

Dig?

We're active, not you, you former Shamnesty Lover.

Now wait a minute, JUDY.......when did he change his true colors?

He's just a SHAMNESTY LOVER who's got a live cinder in his boot, eh?

I'll belive he will sign it when I see it. And even then nothing may never become of it

Actually, no where in this article does it say that Bush agreed to sign the fence bill. He agreed to sign the $448 BILLION war bill.

In an interview with a news media outlet, Bush said he would sign the fence bill if it were sent to him. I can't remember if I saw this on CNN or the Fox Network, but it was on one of them.

Originally Posted by ConcernedCitizen

I'll belive he will sign it when I see it. And even then nothing may never become of it

Same here. Shut up and build it you scumbags. Stop patting yourselves on your greasy backs and keep working, it's far from over.

Dixie posted a copy of the bill. You should go to that thread and read exactly how many miles are involved.