Posted on 01/02/2008 7:34:33 AM PST by pissant
In a quiet act of defiance, the Senate approved a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that removed legal requirements mandating the federal government fund 854 miles of a double layer border fence spanning America's southwestern border.
The funding requirement was codified into law when Congress passed, and President George W. Bush signed, the Secure Fence Act (SFA) in 2006.
When the spending bill, which combines appropriations for a number of federal agencies, reached the Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) attached S.Amdt. 2466 to the measure in order to silently gut the SFA's spending requirement.
The Hutchison amendment reads, "Nothing in this paragraph shall require the secretary of homeland security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location." Thus, critics argue the amendment results in a de facto repeal of the SFA.
"The Hutchison amendment gives DHS virtually total discretion over how and where the fence is built," commented Steve Elliott, president of Grassfire.org. "In fact, DHS would not be required to build fencing in any particular location - and the double-layer mandate is totally gone."
The double-layer border fence, which was premised on the fence erected outside San Diego, consists of two layers of fencing with a border patrol access road separating the fencing. California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who is also running for the Republican nomination, was instrumental in building the fence in San Diego and boasts the fence reduced the smuggling of drugs and people into San Diego by 90 percent. Mr. Hunter further contends his fence is virtually impenetrable.
"If you get over my fence, we sign you up for the Olympics immediately," Mr. Hunter repeatedly jokes on the campaign trail. The success of the San Diego fence was so great that Mr. Hunter wrote the SFA to extend it all the way across the southwest border.
But with the Senate's amendment, the fate of the fence remains in limbo and sets the stage for another congressional showdown on immigration now that the amended Senate version comes back to the House for consideration.
"Congress truly pulled the rug out from under us while we were doing our last-minute holiday shopping, deceiving the American people and only showing goodwill to the 12 million lawbreakers living among us," sates Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Mr. Simcox had pledged to rally his Minutemen to secure funding for the fence, and Mr. Hunter is prepared to do battle as well.
"If Congress is to reverse its border stance after just one year, what message does that send to illegal immigrants and drug smugglers who are watching to see how serious we are about protecting America's borders?" Mr. Hunter asked.
There are places in this state where a “Double Fence” with a road in between, would gobble up land that is privately owned, and cut off access to the river to ranchers, etc.
This is Texas, you don’t mess with our water rights, especially when it affects our cattle.
Yes. She is lying. Her amendment was very clear, it de-funded the fence.
Neither Bush nor Congress ever intended to build that wall, it was all just smoke and mirrors to fool the public into thinking something was finally going to be done about the outrageous illegal immigration situation. Congress is heavily indebted to the big agricultural companies, industrial corporations, and service trade associations which use the cheap labor provided by illegals, and will pay lawmakers off with whatever it takes to keep the cheap labor coming. Nothing harmful to the big money contributors will ever be done by Congress unless the voters throw these bums out and start all over again with some new guys before they too get bought off.
Sorry, she’s still a traitor. One can’t avoid being a traitor based on PAST PERFORMANCE.
That's no worse than telling Israel they have to negotiate with the terrorists who we are funding to the tune of $555 million!!
Anyone who voted FOR this amendment and/or FOR the spending bill needs to be thrown out of office next re-election bid.
If Hutchison runs, hopefully someone will pull out her appearance where she states she will vote for every woman in the Senate over any of their competitors. The only problem was that she would thus vote for Boxer, Feinstein, etc. For lack of words, she is an airhead, and another reason that Texas politicians should be neither seen nor heard.
That sounds like bull to me. Please show me your source.
Anyone that knows her, and I DO, knows she is a staunch conservative in almost every way, and hell would freeze over before she supported Boxer, etc. The people of Texas would hang her out to dry if she ever did so.
Question is, how will the Right march?
As for your crass remark about Texas Politicians, just remember that Texas can do without you too.....
You answered your own question - she's leaving and has nothing to lose.
Maybe she thinks she will have better luck pulling stunts in TX running for governor if only the TX voters are watching and listening to her instead of conservatives from all over the country. I would guess she believes her TX constituents are neither conservative nor anti-illegal immigration.
Maybe conservative Texans will get wise and she won't be able to run for the Republican nomination for governor unchallenged.
Not even the least bit surprised.
Pathetic!
Surely you jest.
People in Texas need to start a recall drive against Kay Bailey Hutchison for this treason.
She can't weaselword her way out of this one ~ it's all about sex and the elderly woman.
You’d think the GOP voters would be starved for a real Reaganite. Instead, many have no clue.
Saudi Arabia built a fence along their northern border to keep out th troublemakers in Iraq. Even the SAUDIS understand the importance of a border fence. What the crap is wrong with Congress??
You believe that?
The "local input" is just a sham to make sure that it can be tied up ion court forever and not be built at all. She's bought and paid for.
“Every elected office has term limits. They’re called ‘elections’. If the constituents want Hutchison out, they can vote her out.”
That is true to a certain extent, but you certainly must realize that in almost every case, the most corrupt politicians in Congress are those who have been there the longest. These self-serving individuals are causing great harm to America, wasting billions per year on pork projects, and it is VERY difficult to defeat them with their massive financial and human resources.
Do you think Bill Clinton would still be running for President without term limits? You bet he would.
2 terms max for the U.S. Senate & 5 Terms max for the U.S. House would cut out a lot of corruption and cronyism in Congress - and save America untold billions of dollars.
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