Homeland Security Spending OK'd for 2006 (Coburn Lone Opponent)

Ap via Yahoo ^ | The Associated Press

[ConservativeMan55]

The Senate on Thursday approved, by a 96-1 vote, $31.8 billion to fund the Homeland Security Department for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The total cost matches spending levels the House approved in May and marks a 7 percent drop from the $34.1 billion President Bush requested. The sole "no" vote was cast by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.

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Among the bill's provisions:

_$5.9 billion for Customs and Border Protection, in part to pay for 1,000 new border agents.

_$3.8 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 740 new agents and investigators and 2,240 new detention beds to hold illegal aliens in custody.

_$2.9 billion for state and local first responders, double the amount of money sent to high-risk areas beyond the White House proposed budget.

_Nearly $1 billion for biological countermeasures and biosurveillance.

_Elimination of a White House proposal to raise airline passenger fees by $3 per ticket to pay for $1.7 billion worth of security enhancements.

[funkywbr]

Good to hear the "FISCAL" back in conservative, if if just one congressman.

Wish he'd bring the rest of the Party back to US.

[takenoprisoner]

"$31.8 billion "

To babysit muslims.

[ConservativeMan55]

It creeps me out that he was the lone opponent.

Does that mean that every other Senator had some kind of pork interest in this bill???

[ConservativeMan55]

You got it.....

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[A Jovial Cad]

Kinda creeped me out, too. But what typically happens with bills like this, from what I've seen, is that the sponsors of the legislation aim it at something everyone generally agrees with--Homeland Security in this instance--and then load it up with all sorts of pork goodies. It makes it hard for a Senator to vote against it, because if he/she does, opponents back home can scream "he's against national security!".

But Senator Coburn has the guts to vote against something he knows is wrong, even if it causes him grief from political opponents. I'll bet this bill, if one examined it in depth, has a ton of garbage in it that has little or nothing to do with securing the border, or Homeland Security. Just my guess.

[yellowdoghunter]

Thanks for the ping....great story and so proud of my Senator. Dr. Coburn makes me prouder everyday. I just now got a chance to read the story about him quietly putting holds on bills, spending and such....I have never been prouder of him. He is truly a good and honorable man....really concerned about the wasting of my money.

Thank you also, CM55 for all you do, for posting these great stories, working on his campaign at college (which is not easy in that atmosphere, even in OK. the colleges have their liberal aspects).

Hope you have been able to take some time and enjoy your summer break.

[ConservativeMan55]

Kind of like the proposed Reid amendment yesterday....

[ConservativeMan55]

I've enjoyed every minute of it!

Coburn is a wonderful man!

[Gipper08]

Tom Coburn is by far and a way the best we have in the Senate.He gives us all hope !

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

May we elect a hundred more like him!

[ConservativeMan55]

Ping!

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[Delphinium]

He doesn't believe in pork, lol. And thats the way we like it.

Much of the money given for government programs do not end up being spent for the government projects they were intended for anyway.

[ConservativeMan55]

Exactly!

I'll bet this money going toward immigration never gets there!!!!

[ConservativeMan55]

Ping over here!

[null and void]

_$5.9 billion for Customs and Border Protection, in part to pay for 1,000 new border agents.

One agent every 3 miles on the southern border? Wow.

[ConservativeMan55]

Hmmmmmm.

Wonder what good those agents will do though...if they let everyone go..or close their eyes to passing illegals?

[ConservativeMan55]

bump!

[RockinRight]

They're good like this: