ACTION ALERT
URGENT: Problems for the Fence in the Omnibus spending bill
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By Colin A. Hanna
Let Freedom Ring
Take Action!
Dear friends of WeNeedAFence.com,
There is a serious flaw in the omnibus funding bill's description of the
fence that it would fund. Although the bill does restore (much of) the
funding for the fence that was stripped out of the Defense Department
appropriations bill, it includes a legislative description of the fence's
design that has the effect of seriously reducing the effectiveness of what
would eventually be built.
Although a bad fence design may seem at first glance to be better than no
fence at all, the reality is that a bad (weak) design weakens the case for
the fence going forward.
The House has sent the bill over to the Senate where it will be debated
today and/or tomorrow. Here's what you need to do TODAY:
Call your Senator - and any other Senators with whom you have any sort of
relationship - and demand that the fence description in the omnibus
spending bill conform to the one in the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
Here's a link to the numbers:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
OR call the United States Capitol general switchboard (202) 224-3121 and
ask to be connected to your senator's office.
Colin
________________________________________
Article published Dec 18, 2007
Spending bill shrinks border fence
December 18, 2007
By S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan - Congress last night passed a giant new
spending bill that undermines current plans for a U.S.-Mexico border
fence, allowing the Homeland Security Department to build a single-tier
barrier rather than the two-tier version that has worked in California.
The spending bill, written by Democrats and passed 253-154 with mostly
their votes, surrenders to President Bush's budget demands, meeting his
spending limit with a $515 billion bill to fund most of the federal
government and setting up votes to pay for the Iraq war. But Democrats
reached his goal in part by slashing his defense and foreign-aid
priorities to pay for added domestic spending.
The concessions promise to end a months-long budget standoff before
Congress adjourns for the year and takes a Christmas break scheduled to
start by Friday. In a rare two-step maneuver, the House first voted
253-154 to approve the bill to fund most of the civilian Cabinet agencies,
and then voted 206-201 to add about $30 billion for Afghanistan
war-spending to the measure.
But the measures did not pass before House Republicans blasted the changes
to the border fence.
"The fact that this was buried in a bloated, 3,500-page omnibus speaks
volumes about the Democrats' unserious approach on border security and
illegal immigration," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio
Republican. "Gutting the Secure Fence Act will make our borders less
secure, but it's consistent with the pattern of behavior we've seen all
year from this majority."
The 2006 Secure Fence Act specifically called for "two layers of
reinforced fencing" and listed five specific sections of border where it
should be installed. The new spending bill removes the two-tier
requirement and the list of locations.
House Democrats said they were just adopting the Senate version, which was
backed by a bipartisan group of border-state senators and passed the
Senate several times this year.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Texas Republican who has led the charge to
change the 2006 law, said she wants to give Homeland Security more
flexibility and wants local officials and landowners to be consulted.
"Senator Hutchison believes that Customs and Border Protection can better
decide how to utilize limited resources to secure the border than a
congressman from Maine," said Matt Mackowiak, Mrs. Hutchison's spokesman.
He said double-tier fencing has worked in San Diego, but it might not be
the right solution for the entire fence.
But Rep. Peter T. King, who sponsored the Secure Fence Act, said if the
goal was to give DHS flexibility, the senators have failed.
"This is either a blatant oversight or a deliberate attempt to disregard
the border security of our country," the New York Republican said. "As
it's currently written, the omnibus language guts the Secure Fence Act
almost entirely. Quite simply, it is unacceptable."
The spending bill must pass the House and Senate this week, and the Senate
is expected to take up the House bill today.
An additional $40 billion for the war in Iraq is expected to be added to
the bill in the Senate, providing political cover for antiwar Democrats.
They could vote against the funds after registering support for the
domestic agenda.
House Republicans would then supply enough votes to help pass the final
bill with about $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - a down
payment on the $196.4 billion war request for 2008.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the spending package, which funds every
Cabinet agency except the Defense Department for the budget year that
began Oct. 1, restored vital domestic programs cut in Mr. Bush's proposed
budget.
"Even as middle-class families are struggling, the president's budget plan
gutted energy independence, cut home-heating assistance for seniors,
undermined cancer research, robbed promised funding from K-12 education
and slashed Pell Grants and college financial aid," the California
Democrat said.
"While the president's stubborn opposition will deny Americans the full
investment they deserve in these priorities, the Democratic budget begins
to reverse seven years of neglect and charts a new direction that invests
in energy independence, health care and education for America's future."
The Democrats' emphasis on domestic priorities included adding $1 billion
to expand health care access, $607 million for medical research, $767
million for education programs such as Head Start, $486 million for
investments in renewable energy and $1.8 billion in Homeland Security
grants.
They cut White House priorities, including increased funding for
abstinence education, expansion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and
some weapons-program requests.
Republicans and watchdog groups criticized Democrats for rushing to pass a
3,500-page bill that conceals abrupt policy shifts and more than 9,000
earmarks for lawmakers' pet projects.
And the border fence was a major objection for Republicans.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, who crafted the language to build double-tier fencing
in California, said the changes would be "a significant step backwards."
"Pulling back from the double-fence mandate is a prescription for failure
that will only allow more smugglers, criminals and illegal aliens to enter
the United States through our land border with Mexico," said the
California Republican, who also is running for his party's presidential
nomination.
The new bill would bring the requirements closer in line with what the
Department of Homeland Security has sought. DHS officials have said they
will finish 370 miles of pedestrian fencing and another 200 miles of
vehicle barriers by next year, and have said the Border Patrol should
determine the locations.
"We're committed to building this fence," said DHS spokeswoman Laura
Keehner, who said it will be a mix of single- and double-tier fencing,
vehicle barriers, cameras and other technology.
LAST-MINUTE RUSH
The following are among the components of the $515 billion House omnibus
spending bill--
.$473.5 billion funding for all Cabinet agencies except Defense
Emergency spending:
.$31 billion emergency funding for the war in Afghanistan
.$3.7 billion emergency funding for veterans health care benefits
.$7.5 billion emergency funding for border security, firefighters, drought
relief and other programs
Restores proposed administration cuts:
.$1.8 billion for Homeland Security grants
.$1.7 billion for college financial aid, including Pell Grants
.$1 billion for health care access, including community health centers and
high-risk insurance pools
.$767 million for K-12 education, including special education,
after-school programs and Head Start.
.$607 million for medical research on Alzheimer's, cancer, Parkinson's and
diabetes
.$486 million renewable energy programs
Cuts to White House funding requests:
.$214 million for weapons programs
.$145 million for expanding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve
.$145 million for Millennium Challenge Corporation aid to countries with
democratic and economic gains
.$77 million for Homeland Security's domestic nuclear-detection office
Source: House Appropriations Committee
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