By Melissa del Bosque
La Linea Blog
The state’s republican leaders have made border security their top priority and are prepared to spend millions, perhaps even billions, on it. Now if they could only agree on what securing the border means.
In late February, the Senate Finance Committee began debating the state budget for the next biennium. But the state’s top budget analysts, the Legislative Budget Board, told the committee that since the state lacked any consensus on – or definition of – border security, it was nearly impossible for them to track expenditures or determine how effective the funding has been.
Despite the confusion, the Senate is proposing to spend as much as $815 million on border security in its draft of the budget. State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), a member of the committee, said at the hearing that it was unclear to him why the extra funding is needed. “We’re crafting this out of a very vague set of numbers and comments,” he said. “Recently we had an influx of young children crossing the border that resulted in the reaction of putting a whole lot of money at the border. Now we’re doing something different … We all need to know what the goal looks like, not just, ‘The more money we put into it the tougher we are.’”
Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) said she left the draft budget vague on purpose. “My goal was to increase funding significantly, which we did … and to cover certain areas, but to leave it up to the committee’s discretion how we do that. … We do have a very clear goal and that’s a secure border,” Nelson said.
From the meeting it also became evident that the debate over border security spending isn’t entirely a partisan one. State Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) said he wanted to see clear goals and performance measures before voting on more money for border security. “On this subject in particular I’ve heard people say it polls well and that’s what voters are demanding. I get that,” he said. “I don’t care what it polls. Every dollar we spend has to be accounted for. We’re dealing with all of these contract fiascos. I don’t want to come back in another two years after spending $800 million to find out we have another boondoggle on our hands.”
The state’s republican leaders have made border security their top priority and are prepared to spend millions, perhaps even billions, on it. Now if they could only agree on what securing the border means.
In late February, the Senate Finance Committee began debating the state budget for the next biennium. But the state’s top budget analysts, the Legislative Budget Board, told the committee that since the state lacked any consensus on – or definition of – border security, it was nearly impossible for them to track expenditures or determine how effective the funding has been.
Despite the confusion, the Senate is proposing to spend as much as $815 million on border security in its draft of the budget. State Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin), a member of the committee, said at the hearing that it was unclear to him why the extra funding is needed. “We’re crafting this out of a very vague set of numbers and comments,” he said. “Recently we had an influx of young children crossing the border that resulted in the reaction of putting a whole lot of money at the border. Now we’re doing something different … We all need to know what the goal looks like, not just, ‘The more money we put into it the tougher we are.’”
Senate Finance Chair Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) said she left the draft budget vague on purpose. “My goal was to increase funding significantly, which we did … and to cover certain areas, but to leave it up to the committee’s discretion how we do that. … We do have a very clear goal and that’s a secure border,” Nelson said.
From the meeting it also became evident that the debate over border security spending isn’t entirely a partisan one. State Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) said he wanted to see clear goals and performance measures before voting on more money for border security. “On this subject in particular I’ve heard people say it polls well and that’s what voters are demanding. I get that,” he said. “I don’t care what it polls. Every dollar we spend has to be accounted for. We’re dealing with all of these contract fiascos. I don’t want to come back in another two years after spending $800 million to find out we have another boondoggle on our hands.”
to read rest of article and Melissa's blog, click on link: http://www.texasobserver.org/blog/lalinea/
6 comments:
The party's policy is to place land mines thru out the Lenght of the Río Grande. Congressman Gohmert, King and Sen. Teodoro de la CRUZ said this action will secure the border. This will garnish them more votes from the Hispanic voters of Texas. It will be part of the Republican platform in2016. They also want to iniciate the massive deportation of 20 million Mexicans too. They want the trains to start rolling.
If we enforced the laws that are on the books; local, state and Federal, the border problem would be greatl decreased. The fact that the federal government gives benefits to illegals is a major reason we have so many illegals. As long as illegals get free medical care, social benefits, free education, free phones, etc, the problem will continue. As long as we subvert the process to legally enter the U.S. we will continue to have people enter illegally....it's easy ( dangerous ) and there is a slew of freebies upon arrival. As we see in Baltimore, the new nation trend is to reward those who break the law.
Securing the border means catching or deterring as many drug and human smugglers as possible. They will never catch or deter them all, but they can do much better than what is being done at present.
The Federal government is not giving the issue it's best efforts. Too much politics involved to be effective.
(They want the trains to start rolling.)
It's that, or the drug cartels (Those running Mexico as we type), are going to very soon start coming and raping your wife, children and then killing them. And all on US soil!
Dags.
Thanks to the MOJADO PINCHE NEGRO JOTO DE obammie this is already happening:
ISIS POSTS WARNING: “We Have 71 Trained Soldiers in 15 States” – NAMES 5 TARGETS
Read more: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/05/isis-posts-warning-we-have-71-trained-soldiers-in-15-states-names-5-targets/#ixzz3ZKT3BBm7
PENDEJOS our borders should have been heavily secure as of SEPTEMBER 12 2001!!!!!!!!!!!!!
While they are shipping illegals back to Madre Mejico, send back all those born on this side who want to change this country into Mexico lite. Get rid of all the pinche bastards.
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