The chairman targets limited resourcesand I emphasize the word "limited"-on future threats. not simply the threats posed by the attacks of September 11. For the most part. the chairman has attempted to allocate resources to those threats that represent the greatest risk to the American people. In doing so he has. with my support. included a number of improvements to the Presidents budget particularly with regard to border security. air cargo security. funds for States to implement the drivers license provisions of the REAL ID Act. as well as funding to protect the "allhazards" Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. The committee bill builds on the bipartisan border security initiative that I offered along with Senator CRAIG to the 2005 emergency supplemental. Between the emergency supplemental enacted in May and this bill Congress will have increased the number of Border Patrol agents by 1.500. provided funds to train and house these agents. increased the number of immigration investigators. the number of agents and detention officers by 817. and increased the number of detention beds by 4.190. The chairman has to be commended for this. and I am profuse in my admiration and my support for what he has done. In addition. the bill contains an important protection for the privacy rights of Americans.
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border security Border Patrol immigration