Speech #1090170465

Congress included a provision in the PATRIOT Act mandating the tripling of the number of border agents and inspectors along the northern border. This amendment included $145 million to make a down payment on the promise of Congress in the PATRIOT Act to triple northern border personnel. which the bill failed to do. and to purchase surveillance equipment. The amendment also included $78 million for the highest priority facility needs of the Border Patrol and other parts of the INSparticularly the Border Patrols detention facility needs. 2. 2003 Vote #301June 24. 2003H.R. 2555. FY 2004 Homeland Security Appropriations: Republicans voted against consideration of an amendment that would have added $300 million for border security. including making a further downpayment on the promise of Congress in the 2001 PATRIOT Act to triple the number of border agents and inspectors along the northern border. The amendment was critically needed because the level of northern border personnel funded in the Republican bill was about 30 percent below the commitment made in the PATRIOT Act. 3. 2003 Vote #305June 24. 2003H.R. 2555. FY 2004 Homeland Security Appropriations: This vote was regarding the same amendment as 2003 Vote #301 above. On a vote on appealing the ruling of the chair. Republicans once again voted against consideration of this amendment that would have added $300 million for enhancing border security. including adding border agents and inspectors along the northern border. 4. 2004 Vote #243June 16. 2004--H.R. 4567. FY 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations: Republicans voted against consideration of an amendment that would have added $750 million for border securityto help meet the promises in the PATRIOT Act on border staffing. better monitor our borders. and deploy radiation portal monitors. Under the GOP bill. the level of northern border personnel funded was still about 30 percent below the commitment made in the PATRIOT Actso the amendment was designed to help Congress keep its promise. The $750 million would also have been used for giving Border Patrol more of the equipment they critically needed--including air stations for air patrols. radiation portal monitors. and stateoftheart surveillance equipment. 5. 2005 Vote #160May 5. 2005H.R. 1268. FY 2005 Supplemental Appropriations Conference Report: Republicans voted against a motion to send the report back to conference with instructions to add $284 million for border security measuresthat would bring funding for border security in the conference report up to the level in the Senatepassed bill. The $284 million included the funding for 550 additional Border Patrol agents and 200 additional immigration agents that was included in the Senate bill. It also included the funding in the Senate bill for unmanned border aerial vehicles. which have been used successfully in Arizona to assist in surveillance. 6. For FY 2006 and FY 2007. Republicans Have Repeatedly Broken the Promises They Made on Border Security in the Intelligence Reform (9/11) Act of 2004: In December 2004. the Congress enacted the Intelligence Reform (or 9/11) Act (PL 108458). One of the key commitments Congress made in that Act was to beef up border security measures. This included the specific promise of providing 2.000 additional Border Patrol agents. 800 additional immigration agents. and 8.000 additional detention beds per year from FY 2006 through FY 2010. And yet. both for FY 2006 and FY 2007. the Republican Congress has repeatedly voted against efforts to meet this mandate. as seen below. 7. 2005 Vote #174May 17. 2005H.R. 2360. FY 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations: Republicans voted against consideration of an amendment that would have added $400 million for border security. to meet the promises Congress made on additional Border Patrol agents. immigration agents. and detention beds in the 9/11 Act. First. the Presidents budget for 2006 broke the promise of the 9/11 Act by providing funding for only 210 new Border Patrol agents in 20061.790 below the number promised. The Republican appropriations bill was better than the Presidents budget. funding 1.000 new agentsbut this was still 1.000 agents short of the promise made in the 9/11 Act. The Republican bill also broke the promises on immigration agents and detention beds. This amendment was designed to live up to the commitments of the 9/11 Act. It added funding for Border Patrol agents. and also added funding for 600 additional immigration agents to gel to the 800 promised and added funding for 4.000 additional detention beds to get to the 8.000 promised. 8. 2005 Vote #187May 18. 2005H.R. 1817. FY 2006 Homeland Security Authorization: Republicans voted against a Democratic substitute to the Homeland Security Authorization bill that was designed to fulfill the promises in the 9/11 Act. For example. the Democratic substitute included a full authorization for funding a total of 800 additional immigration agents for 2006 promised in the 9/11 Act and a full authorization for funding a total of 8.000 additional detention beds for 2006 promised in the 9/11 Act. 9. 2005 Vote #188May 18. 2005H.R. 1817. FY 2006 Homeland Security Authorization: Similarly. Republicans voted against a motion to recommit the Homeland Security Authorization bill with instructions to report it back immediately with instructions to add 15 mandates from the Intelligence Reform (or 9/11) Act that had not been included in the Republican bill. including full authorization for funding a total of 800 additional immigration agents for 2006 and full authorization for funding a total of 8.000 additional detention beds for 2006. 10. 2006 Vote #56March 16. 2006H.R. 4939. FY 2006 Supplemental Appropriations: Republicans defeated an amendment to H.R. 4939. FY 2006 Supplemental Appropriations. offered by Representative MARTIN SABO. which would have added $600 million for border security measures to the bill. The $600 million included $400 million for installation of 1.500 radiation portal monitors at locations along the border and $200 million for additional air patrols and other aviation assets at our land borders. 11. 2006 Vote #210May 25. 2006H.R. 5441. FY 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations: Republicans voted against consideration of an amendment that would have added $2.1 billion for border security. including $1.5 billion to meet the promises Congress made on additional Border Patrol agents. immigration agents. and detention beds in the 9/11 Act. The Republican Congress has failed to meet these mandates for both 2006 and 2007. This amendment provided enough funding to address the cumulative shortfalls that have resulted from underfunding in both 2006 and For example. on Border Patrol agents. the Republican Congress had funded only 1.000 additional agents for 2006 and was funding only 1.200 additional agents for 2007leaving the Congress 1.800 agents short of what it had promised in the 9/11 Act. Hence. the amendment provided funding for these 1.800 additional agents. Similarly. the amendment also funded the nearly 500 additional immigration agents and 9.000 additional detention beds beyond those in the bill that were promised by the 9/11 Act. The amendment also included $610 million to further increase border detection capabilities. including funding more radiation portal monitors along the borders and providing additional air patrols along the borders.