Posted on 09/29/2006 7:40:28 PM PDT by The Spirit Of Allegiance
Edited on 09/29/2006 7:52:46 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The House version of the bill approving and funding the building of a U.S./Mexico border wall has overwhelmingly passed the Senate, according to KFI News.
Link to station provided.
UPDATE: Senate backs fence along Mexico border
Reuters
By Donna Smith and Richard Cowan
The U.S. Senate on Friday overwhelmingly agreed to authorize construction of a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico, sending to President George W. Bush before the November 7 elections a bill that Republicans hope will showcase their efforts to stop illegal immigration.
The Republican-written bill authorizing construction of about 700 miles of fence was one of the last bills to clear Congress as lawmakers prepared to leave Washington to campaign for the congressional elections. On a vote of 80-19 the Senate approved the bill already passed by the House of Representatives and it now goes to Bush for his signature.
Bush had sought broad immigration legislation that would create a guest-worker program to help provide a steady workforce for jobs Americans are either unable or unwilling to do. But he was unable to marshal support for it in the face of opposition from a solid group of House Republicans who pushed for tougher enforcement and border measures instead.
A separate bill approved by the House on Friday provided an initial $1.2 billion in funding for the fence and other border-security measures for the fiscal year that begins Oct 1. The money is part of a $34.8 billion bill for domestic security programs for the fiscal year that begins October 1.
The broad spending bill also criminalizes the construction of tunnels that could be secret passageways from Mexico or Canada for drug smugglers, illegal aliens or terrorists.
The Senate was expected to pass the funding bill quickly and send it on to Bush along with the fence authorization.
Opponents of the fence said it would be expensive and was not an effective deterrent to illegal immigration.
"This is a political gimmick," said Sen. Ken Salazar, a Democrat from Colorado. "It is not in the long-term interest of of the United States of America and the Western Hemisphere."
The government of Mexico on Thursday issued a statement expressing "its profound concern" with the fence. The statement, translated from Spanish, said such measures "are contrary to the spirit of cooperation that should prevail to guarantee security in the common border."
IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL
Backers of the fence said it was an important tool to clamp down against illegal immigration. An estimated 1.2 million illegal immigrants were arrested in the last fiscal year trying to cross into the United States along the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Sections of the fence would be built in each state.
"Fortifying our borders is the first prong of comprehensive immigration reform and it's an integral piece of national security," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
Lawmakers and analysts say Congress could tackle comprehensive immigration legislation in a post-election sessions, but they acknowledge difficulties.
"It will be tough but doable," said Rep. Adam Putnam (news, bio, voting record), a Florida Republican.
"There is a lot of pent up pressure and interest in doing something in the lame duck session," said Craig Regelbrugge of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform.
Democrats accused the Republican majority of playing politics with the fence bill after raising immigration as an election-year issue but having little to show in the way of legislation.
"This is about November. This is about incumbent protection, not about border protection," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Earlier this year the Senate passed broad immigration legislation that combined border security and employer sanctions with a plan to create a guest-worker program and provide a path to citizenship for many of the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.
The Senate and House were unable to compromise and instead resorted to passing a series narrow border security measures.
If this is true ----- WOO-HOO!!!!
Republicans are desperate. It has not been a good week for conservatives.
Wow, there must be some hidden polling data out there, cause I keep hearing/reading that this is one of the last things on peoples minds.
Thanks for the NEWS!!!
Oh I think there are a few liberals in the desperate category cause if they wanted to stop this they could have.
OH MAN really?
Rack Senate
Yes, good news is bad news. This is very bad news for conservatives.
Which planet is your internet provider on?
Great news and with the funding too. If true, that should quiet down some of the naysayers.
You got that right. Nobody in sight willing to build a wall south of the Rio Grande. They will take land from Americans (Texans, Arizonans, New Mexicans, Californians), yet lack the guts to take it from Mexico. Pathetic if true. Not only do these newly minted "conservatives" give a pass to Mexico City, they suck up to them.
And to the libRats who are still mouthing their mantras of "the poor can't afford to get one or get to a place to get one" - remind them that the bill calls for providing them FREE and, should they need transportation, that will also be provided FREE!
Their thinly veiled objections to Voter ID has been eliminated. Remind them!
It will be very interesting to see just hows different to voting numbers will be with much of the loopholes for fraud (dead voters, alien voters and multiple votes, for example) plugged.
Wow, funding passes on side... will it pass the other side is now the question and what darn pork will get piled on it by senate slugs?
The world awaits the final dust clears version.
Didn't see it up at Drudge yet. Not up at Congress.org.
John & Ken had Ed Royce on earlier. Royce said the House would stay in session until the Senate sent whatever version back, even if the Senate used the '24 Hour Rule' pertaining to Cloture. Sounds like the Senate blinked. If I heard correctly, the Senate passed the House version 80 to 19.
Prayers up for all our officials.
Long may Old Glory wave.
You must be living on a different planet then I?
Figgers.
L
First they told us to back Harriet Meyers, because the only way to win is through compromise. Then they told us to back Bush on amnesty, because the only way to win is through compromise.
I'll cheer when construction starts and really celebrate when the construction is completed.
The sorriest people are those who call themselves moderate as they have no core values and will compromise with anything!
What part of "Tax and spend" do you not comprehend? Conservative in a pigs eye.
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