Posted on 09/24/2019 12:37:09 PM PDT by BeauBo
Senate Republicans on Tuesday laid down their ante in the new border wall spending battle with a homeland security spending bill that includes $5 billion in additional money to build more fencing in 2020 and fulfill President Trump’s top campaign promise.
The bill advanced through a spending subcommittee with some bipartisan support...
The $5 billion, if it survives the rest of the legislative process, would bring total wall funding under Mr. Trump to $14.8 billion. But Senate Republicans will have to battle with House Democrats, who included no border wall money in their version of the homeland security bill...
Homeland Security presented a lengthy justification for its border wall plans last year, delivering a thick volume of plans and an extensive briefing on how the money would be used.
“With the $5 billion that’s in this bill, this gets us through the top 17 in the high-priority areas,” Ms. (Senator) Capito said.
The $5 billion matches what Mr. Trump requested in his 2020 budget submission earlier this year.
(Excerpt) Read more at amp.washingtontimes.com ...
If we get money next year, like we got this year (Thanks President Trump), hundrds of more miles of barrier will get on contract, in addition to the 529 miles already funded (finished, under construction, contracted or pending contract award).
Kabuki Theater.
It will never get past the House.
If they really wanted it, they could have done it when Lyn Ryan was running the show.
But seriously GOP Senate, $5 Billion? You sure that won't break the bank? I know how badly these funds are needed to payoff your favorite Tropico Dictator to fight Climate Change.
You really can't spare more than that for the American People eh?
All this “pretty-please / may-I” bullshit is pathetic and embarrassing. God help us if we ever got into a shooting war.
He can again take it from the Pentagon funds. Since the USSC has already ruled on this there is nothing to stop him from doing so.
The $5 billion, if it survives the rest of the legislative process,
LOL. Last time McConnell assigned that fossil Shelby to the
budget bill reconciliation committee. Trump got nothing of substance on border security.
“Last time McConnell assigned that fossil Shelby to the
budget bill reconciliation committee. Trump got nothing of substance on border security.”
In each of the last two years (FY18 and 19), the President got about $1.4 billion appropriated for border barrier.
That is the annual wedge that Paul Ryan got added to the ten year baseline budget, when he was speaker.
It is therefore the most likely outcome for FY20 appropriations as well (and the Administration likely has plans to get the rest of the money needed through other means, like this year).
Generally speaking, it seems likely that the final amount will be somewhere between the high and low starting positions.
A billion dollars for critical national security infrastructure in a trillion dollar budget is chump change. Shelby gave away the store while fully funding plenty of Democrat pet projects like NPR and Planned Infanticide. You can thank the GOP for that. The past 30 years has shown us the GOP want a border exactly as much as the Democrat party does. Not at all.
Exactly: they asked for $5 billion last time and barely got 1.5 for fencing. The Dem house will agree to nothing, so I’ve said all along, make it $50 billion!! Force them to say too much, as soon as they do they lost, because to question the amount is to agree to the premise just not the magnitude. If they don’t, let them whittle it down to $5 billon and they can claim a victory while Trump gets his wall and keeps his promise. Isn’t that how Trump does a deal anyway?
Seems like all 6 burners on the stove are turned up to maximum.
Phucking cowards.....
“He can again take it from the Pentagon funds. Since the USSC has already ruled”
Maybe so. The Administration actually used two methods to use DoD money this year:
1. They re-programmed savings from throughout the Military budget, into the DoD Counter-Narcotics account, which is already authorized by Congress to build border fencing, roads and lighting. A total of $2.5 billion was transferred internally from several accounts, put on contracts, and those projects are building today. That is what the Supreme Court ruled on in July. One possibility though, is that Congress could limit DoD’s authority to re-program money like that next year - we will have to wait and see.
2. The administration also pulled $3.6 billion from Military Construction (MILCON) accounts, which can only be done for a Presidentially declared emergency, under the National Emergencies Act. They are just now preparing to award contracts with that money, which is just now triggering the lawsuits opposing it. The Supreme Court will likely have to rule on this as well (and should support the President, but no guarantee).
Since Military Construction projects typically extend over multiple Fiscal Years, their appropriations are good for five years. Congress approves each project individually, and funds the whole thing up front - but progress payments are doled out to contractors over the months and years, as work is completed.
The emergency declaration lets the Administration take some of the money on account for the future (unobligated) - which Congress could come back later and re-fill, so the project never needs to slow down, or incur cancellation penalties under the contracts.
So we will have to see if Congress refills the money “borrowed” for the emergency this year. 127 different projects were tapped - half of the dollars were slated for construction in other countries, and another quarter in territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. So only less than one billion was actually within the districts of voting legislators.
So both methods remain open for next year as of now, but Congress might cancel reprogramming authority, or ban the use of MILCON. Likely they won’t muster the will to do either, and the Administration will get the additional billions needed to keep the Program on its rapid building schedule.
Also, the courts might still weigh in against diverting MILCON under the emergency declaration.
Additionally, the Administration might have new tricks to use this year, anticipating that Congress might not let them get away with the same thing twice.
Oh I got that and Trump deserves all the credit for it!
The GOP Senate however is a worthless pile of droppings.
“the GOP want a border exactly as much as the Democrat party does. Not at all.”
The GOP was att least willing to give what amounts to lip service to building a wall - enough funding for photo ops/talking points, but essentially to slow roll the issue until President Trump is out of office. Not enough to prevent traffic from simply diverting to the nearest gap still left open.
Although not enough to really do the whole job, it is still a nice chunk, that makes a big difference to the areas that get it. San Diego and the Rio Grande Valley, the two highest volume corridors, will be effectively buttoned up with the FY17, 18 and 19 appropriations.
The third biggest corridor, Yuma, is getting buttoned up using DoD money. As Senator Capito noted, with the money already identified, and the $5 billion for FY20 that the Senate is recommending, we could get down through the 17th highest corridor on the priority list.
After thorough analysis, DHS determined that only about 1,100 miles of total barrier would really be worth building. In areas that are not vehicle passable, and take more than a day to walk, the delay from barrier becomes of little significance.
With 529 (higher priority) miles already funded in the current pipeline (Thanks President Trump), including the most expensive and difficult ones in the Rio Grande Valley, the President would be within striking distance of contracting the great bulk of the remaining requirement next year, if he comes up with as much funding as this year (which he requested - $5 billion through DHS, $3.6 more through other).
Border Patrol concentrates on the shrinking gaps, and powerful Technology Programs are now rolling out, faster than barrier. The whole ~260 mile Arizona border is funded for persistent surveillance through the Integrated Fixed Towers Program, just with FY19 money - just one of several significant technology upgrades hitting the border. Like the barrier Program, the Technology Programs are just now entering full scale deployment.
I truly appreciate your contributions to FR relative to the border situation and funding issues! Very educational!
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