Posted on 02/09/2005 2:07:18 PM PST by 4.1O dana super trac pak
Washington - The law signed by President Bush less than two months ago to add thousands of border patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border has crashed into the reality of Bush's austere federal budget proposal, officials said Tuesday.
Officialy approved by Bush on Dec. 17 after extensive bickering in Congress, the National Intelligence Reform Act included the requirement to add 10,000 border patrol agents in the five years beginning with 2006. Roughly 80 percent of the agents were to patrol the southern U.S. border from Texas to California, along which thousands of people cross into the United States illegally each year.
But Bush's proposed 2006 budget, revealed Monday, funds only 210 new border agents.
The shrunken increase reflects the lack of money for an army of border guards and the capacity to train them, officials said.
'snip'
The law signed by Bush had a caveat that went virtually unreported at the time. A summary, published by the Senate Government Affairs Committee, required the government to increase the number of border agents by at least 2,00 per year, "subject to available appropiations."
Democrats were unhappy that the proposed budget used the escape clause so soon after the president approved the huge boost in border agents.
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Some Republicans were also displeased.
"This is an area of homeland security that needs to be ramped up in order to increase surveillance and patrols of our nation's vast and often remote borders," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
President Bush has got to wake up on the illegals issue.
Should read "...at least 2,000 per year."
So maybe Bush figures....he'll throw this out to the Dim dogs, they jump on this...everyone will scream and he'll end up getting his borer patrol anyway and force the Dims to cut something else they really want. Gotcha!
He has more important things on his mind, like AIDS money for Africa.
We have open borders - so why fund any Border Patrol...let's save money so we can pay the illegals Social Security benefits, healthcare etc. etc. etc.
That is because the budget spends over $1 tillion on social welfare.
Bush lacks courage, or he lacks the desire to protect America's sovereignty.
Possibly, it is because Bush is a globalist who dreams of Mexamerica.
Possibly, he would, in the grand tradition of Marxists, rather spend money on social welfare than natioanl security.
Choose your pick--it is one of the above.
>How about a Civil Border Patrol...<
How about the National Guard? That is what they are for, to protect THIS country and our borders. Bring the NG home and allow enlisted army and marine personel fight the war outside the country. With the massive opposition to the President's border policy, how can he cut security there; and is he absolved from being answerable to his constituents? IMO, he is guaranteeing a big Republican loss in 2008.
The last time we used the NG on the border (in Texas) they shot and killed an American born kid herding sheep! Armies are for killing people and breaking things...not policing!
Ah yes, the "smaller growth than I want"="cut" logic. Guess it isn't just for liberals anymore.
No flame. Bush will add thousands upon thousands to defend Iraq from terrorists but nothing to defend America from the immivasion from the south.
Golly, before Iraq I never heard of the National Guard being used as an "Army" before. I took the name literally.
My mistake!
Lets not jump off the deep end.
Lets face it Mexicans are not flying into buildings.
They want work.
This is where the jobs are.
Its very expensive to guard the borders, using volunteers with per diem would help, cut the cost.
We are using the Guard in Iraq.
Where do you start with this statement?
Maybe if everyone chipped in a buck or two the Bush Administration may at least afford to guard the border with scarecrows...
Has anyone checked out the numbers?
I thought that since the Border Patrol was put under Homeland Security it was going to be exempt from the cuts that the rest of the budget.
BTW *if* 10,000 agents were appropriated and only 210 are being funded it is a cut.
There is a movement to have civilian spotters set up in southern AZ with cell phones to call the border patrol. They say they have over 400 volunteers.
http://www.minutemanproject.com/
Have you forgotten 9/11 already? Those were not Mexican gardeners who flew those planes, they were Middle-Eastern Muslim terrorists. Why would you want to take money away from our troops defending us from terrorists in order to help socialist labor unions extort exhorbitant wages out of American companies?
Yeah. Keep buying that. You want to keep terrorists out of America by keeping our troops someplace else other than America? Sure, we need to go where they are and kick their butts, but are you thinking we can capture or kill all 100,000,000 Muslim who hate us? Meanwhile, terrorists are free to enter our borders as easily as any Mexican, not that I am against Mexicans, just that if they can enter so easily so can terrorists? Also, if Mexico keeps immivading and annexing America, what will be left to defend?
>It is very expensive to guard the borders<
But that is the JOB of government (in fact it is the ONLY job government originally was supposed to do!)
>We are using the Guard in Iraq<
No kidding! The National Guard was formed to guard THIS country. The ARMED FORCES were formed to fight wars OUTSIDE this country.
?>The last time we used the NG on the border (in Texas) they shot and killed an American born kid herding sheep!<
Ever heard of "Friendly Fire?" It happens all the time in wartime.
>Armies are for killing people and breaking things, not policing!<
Who told you that? I am not suggesting the Army police the borders. I am saying it is the reason the National
Guard was formed, to protect OUR borders from invasion, and we are being invaded, make no mistake about it.
That's no excuse for him not to want to fund what Congress has provided for.
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