World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[imawswami]

Article: Senate carves 1.9Billion for border

Looks like Gov't is very serious about our southern border. This complements nicely last article on homeland securtiy.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a1VbkciW_Ueg&refer=us

U.S.Senate Adds $1.9 Bln in Spending on Border Security (Update1)
April 26 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate voted to cut $1.9 billion from Defense Department programs so it can spend the money on aircraft, patrol boats and other equipment used to boost U.S. border security.

The Senate approved the change in a 59 to 39 vote on an amendment to a $106 billion emergency spending measure for military operations and hurricane recovery.

Under the amendment, $1.9 billion will be used to replace surveillance aircraft, patrol boats, ``outdated'' vehicles, communications equipment and other improvements that lawmakers said were urgently needed to secure the nation's borders.

``The purpose of this amendment is to basically give the people who are defending us on our borders -- the border security agents, the Customs agents, the Coast Guard -- the tools they need to their job right,'' said Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican. ``We can bring the border under control and we're on a path to do that.''

Democrats denounced the spending plan, saying it forced lawmakers to choose between supporting American troops and protecting the country's Southwestern border.

`Urgent Need'

``Border security is an urgent need and it should and must be addressed by this Congress,'' said Senator Hillary Clinton, a Democrat from New York. ``But our security and our values are not served by choosing between protecting our troops and protecting our homeland.''

A Democratic alternative proposal, which would have made paid for the border security equipment without cutting defense programs, was rejected on a 54-44 vote.

Republicans said their proposal would cut non-emergency defense programs, not funds for troops, and was more fiscally responsible because it wouldn't increase the overall size of the spending measure.

The legislation includes money to replace the U.S. border protection agency's only unmanned surveillance aircraft, which crashed yesterday in Arizona.

The Bush administration, which requested $92 billion in emergency spending, has threatened to veto the $106 billion spending measure unless lawmakers cut more than $10 billion out of the plan. The House has approved legislation that closely tracks the president's request, capping the spending at about $92 billion.

Differences between the House and Senate measures will have to be resolved by a conference committee.

Immigration

The border security spending is part of an effort by Majority Leader Bill Frist to gain support for pending legislation, now stalled in the Senate, to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

The immigration measure would beef-up border security, create a temporary worker program and allow millions of illegal immigrants to gain legal status has stalled in the Senate over disagreements on a number of proposed amendments to the plan. The House has approved legislation that would crack down on the hiring of undocumented workers while calling for the construction of a 700-mile fence along the border. The Bush administration has called for overhauling U.S. immigration laws, including the creation of a guest-worker program.



To contact the reporter on this story:
Brian Faler in Washington at [e-mail]