I believe 1.2 billion was funded. I think the total ticket is more like 4.6 billion.
BTW: These figures are a Hell of a lot more than the numbers that were getting tossed around here when describing what it would cost to build a border fence to cover then entire length of the Southern Border.
It's not an ordinary heavy gauge fence.....
Because those tossing the figures low-balled their estimates.
We'll be lucky to fence off the Southern border for under $10 billion in initial costs IMHO.
Not really though. I've repeated if we can spend $13 million/mile for a four lane highway, we ought invest at least that much for a linear border barrier. That would make the total 700 mile infrastructure $9.1 billion, less than a quarter of the annual trade in illegal narcotic substances crossing the border. The current target year to be completed is 2008. By that time some $95 billion illegal drugs will have made their way into the US from Mexico and a million and a half illegals will have evaded capture adding to the already $40 billion annual burden upon taxpayers. $9.1-10 billion investment isn't such a high price with all those aspects taken into consideration.
Such a barrier wouldn't need to be built all at once because as the infrastructure grows and sectors become more secure requiring fewer border patrol personnel, the majority of patrol can be redeployed to less secured sectors.