Posted on 07/14/2006 5:42:08 AM PDT by kellynla
Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it.
"We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote. "The things we do often sound very good, but we never quite get there."
Mr. Sessions offered his amendment to authorize $1.8 billion to pay for the fencing that the Senate voted 83-16 to build along high-traffic areas of the border with Mexico. In the same vote on May 17, the Senate also directed 500 miles of vehicle barriers to be built along the border.
But the May vote simply authorized the fencing and vehicle barriers, which on Capitol Hill is a different matter from approving the federal expenditures needed to build it.
"If we never appropriate the money needed to construct these miles of fencing and vehicle barriers, those miles of fencing and vehicle barriers will never actually be constructed," Mr. Sessions told his colleagues yesterday before the vote.
Virtually all Democrats were joined by the chamber's lone independent and 28 Republicans in opposing Mr. Session's amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act. Only two Democrats -- Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Thomas R. Carper of Delaware -- supported funding the fence.
All told, 34 senators -- including most of the Republican leadership -- voted in May to build the fence but yesterday opposed funding it.
The overall bill, which appropriates more than $32 billion to the Homeland Security Department, including $2.2 billion for border security and control, passed on a 100-0 vote last night.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Hogwash. Walls work. We know. They've been tried and they cut border corssing by 80-90% where they are tried.
It's a symbol, a symbol that says we'll enforce the law.
It has nothing to do with isolationism, and everything to do with 1 million + illegal border crossing, not just of immigrants but drugs and other contraband.
The Senate just voted the interests of lawbreakers.
The doors are open, we still welcome immigrants, but the walls have to be built.
"Good?"
Yea, well let us all know when you are prepared to step up to the teller and pick up the 50 BILLION DOLLAR TAB that illegals are costing us EACH AND EVERY YEAR while they continue to cross our borders and occupy our country...and I won't even get into the THOUSANDS of illegal criminals, the TONS OF ILLEGAL DRUGS and God knows how many Muslim terrorists who have crossed BOTH BORDERS unabated.
"Good?"
yea that's reeeeeeel "good!" "Good" for stupidity or naivete or both!
Worth repeating, and probably as close to the mark as anybody else will come.
Lots of hot gas generated by "The People's" representatives and little of "substance". I wonder sometimes if D.C. needs an enema, or are we better off with the inflated gas bag that is now our nation's capital. It may stink, but at least there's nothing to clean up.
It would be interesting to cross reference those republicans that voted for the bill with those that are up for reelection.
Not a SINGLE senator from a southern border state voted for this amendment, including my own; Cornyn and Hutchison. They have generally been on board, so I suspect something is amiss here.
LOL! Actually, the opposite is true. Currently, no one respects our borders. If we actually enforced our borders, then our borders would be respected. That would improve our image in the world.
We can't build a wall on the border but I see illegals building stone walls in neighborhoods everywhere. Kind of ironic.
That was the only article I could find at the moment which indicates the 370 miles will include the old fence. However, I have seen it, and Kris Kobach, former head of immigration has said as much.
That's about how much was originally appropriated for the Big Dig, which eventually cost 12+ billion.
Every Senator that voted against the funding is a piece of crap.Just like the piece of crap illegals that invade this country
Half the illegals arrive at airports all over the United States as tourists or business vistors. They then overstay their visas and disappear into the population at large. The border fence won't do much about that. (Although it's a necessary "start")
ohhhhhh, this whole business is ridiculous!
we have a POTUS who claims we are at war but refuses to secure our borders and a Senate full of geldings.
well one more 9/11 type terrorist attack and W can bend over and kiss his legacy Adios and a Senate GOP who will be looking for a testicles implant!
P.J. O'Rourke said it best: "Parliament of Whores"
and re: my post 74
That term for Congress is a slander on any number of prostitutes forced into
their work or by wretched life-circumstances.
Our Legislators have no excuse for acting WORSE than prostitutes.
Did anyone actually think the Feds would build a fence?
Does anyone actually think the Feds will fund any border enforcement that passes Congress?
Wrong.
The current permanent illegal population in the US is between 10 and 20 million.
Approximately 45% of those are overstays who came in with visas.
A good portion of those overstays are Mexicans that entered along the border, with visa's.
ping
Their excuse may turn out to be that money need not be appropriated for something that possibly can't be built anyway......
Senate Bill 2611
"Federal, state and local representatives in the United States shall consult with their counterparts in Mexico concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures before the commencement of any such construction."
Personally, I think it may be more than that. I believe that in order to get around the House Bill, the Senate/Bush are going to suddenly be willing to compromise and enforce borders first. However, what may be hidden in their proposal, according to Tancredo, are 'triggers', whereby a lot of what they proposed originally will be triggered as soon as the administration 'deems' the border to be 'secured'.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.