Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007 -- (Senate - July 13, 2006)
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I want to make a few remarks regarding the amendment that has been offered by the Senator from Alabama.
I want my colleagues to know that this amendment which the Senator from Alabama is proposing provides over $1.8 billion for the construction of a fence along the southwest border of the United States. However, my colleagues should know that he pays for this amendment by an across-the-board cut to virtually every other discretionary program that is funded within this Homeland Security bill. That amendment amounts to a 5.7 percent decrease to critical programs such as the Coast Guard operations that are absolutely essential in both homeland security and with the number of domestic issues.
His amendment would also cut FEMA and disaster relief funds at the height of the hurricane and western forest fire season, and it cuts funding from the Secret Service for the protection of the President.
This amendment also cuts a lot of our critical border security programs.
On a bipartisan basis earlier this week, the Senate increased funding for border security programs by $350 million. The bill that is before the Senate right now has $11 billion for Customs and border protection and immigration and Customs enforcement.
The irony of the Senator's amendment is that it would cut funding for the hiring of 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to pay for the fence. His amendment cuts funding for 1,000 additional detention beds to pay for this fence. And his amendment cuts funding for unmanned aerial investigation and surveillance helicopters and Border Patrol helicopters to pay for this fence.
The bill before the Senate is carefully constructed and balanced to provide funding for homeland security priorities within very limited resources.
I know the chairman and the ranking member of this committee have worked long and hard to balance a lot of requests regarding homeland security. The amendment before us would unbalance that dramatically.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.
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Mrs. MURRAY. As noble as it is to hire 800 full-time active duty investigators, this amendment cuts law enforcement grants, firefighter grants, emergency management grants, State Homeland Security grants, urban security initiative, FEMA, and, ironically, will cut money for the fence that is within the bill before the Senate. I urge a no vote.
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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, a lot of work has been accomplished in the last 3 days. I particularly thank Senator Gregg, chairman of the committee, who has done a good job of balancing a very difficult budget in a very difficult year but has been great to work with. The numerous amendments came from both sides of the aisle, and I thank all of his staff for their work.
I thank the ranking member on our committee, Senator Byrd, for his work on this committee and all of the effort he has put into making sure we have a balanced bill that has come before the Senate to appropriate funds for Homeland Security.
I especially thank the staff that has been out here on our side working for the last numerous days, night and day, to get us to the point where we will shortly vote on this bill: Chuck Kieffer, Chip Walgren, Scott Nance, Drenan Dudley, Adam Morrison, and all of our staff who have been out here.
I end by thanking Senator Gregg for his tremendous work on this bill in a very difficult year.
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