Department Of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 14, 2007)

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Mr. CARTER. I thank the chairman for recognizing me. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) my colleague, who has joined me as a cosponsor of this amendment. I am very pleased to thank the chairman of this subcommittee, who has done a wonderful job on this bill, and I am very honored to serve with him. I would also like to thank the ranking member, Mr. Rogers, for all the hard work has done on this bill.

We all agree, our southern borders are in crisis. We don't want to create any problems to get our fencing that's authorized and appropriated for. We don't want to have any interference. This amendment removes bureaucratic and environmental obstacles that restrict funding for the construction of the fence on our southern border.

This amendment strikes a number of restrictions on the border funding of fencing and tactical infrastructure, including various reporting requirements attached to funding restrictions, requirements that DHS must coordinate with Interior agencies to minimize the impact on wildlife and natural resources, requires DHS must formally consult with State and local communities and solicit their advice and support of the projects, ultimately giving them some sort of veto, and restricts the funding for the use of the Secretary's environmental waiver until the waiver has been published in the Federal Register for a period of 15 days.

Each one of these things has the potential to slow down or interfere with or stop the construction of the fence. Bureaucratic hurdles are not what we are looking for on the southern border. It's protection for our southern border.

To ask for advice and support gives local communities potential for a veto. Our border security shouldn't be held hostage to some group like that. We do consult with the landowners, over 400 have been consulted, one Governor has been consulted, 60 Governors' assistants have been consulted. A multitude of city and council officials have been consulted as border and fencing plans are developed.

We are doing the job. We don't want funding withheld. That's what this does.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Price).

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Mr. CARTER. To my colleagues whom I highly respect, let me say this: I'm concerned about the part about withholding funds as we consult.

I agree that we should consult. I do not agree that they have to support it. And the question I would raise is, what happens if they don't? Do we then not build the fence that the Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas, told me they had to have to survive? So that's the secret word that I'm concerned about.

Consult, I'm all for. But if they vote 4-3 on the city council not to do it, then what happens to the funds? What happens to the fence?

On the issue of wildlife in Texas, we have wildlife-proof fences in south Texas on literally every ranch there because, quite frankly, the deer on those ranches are very expensive and they protect them. And already we are providing water gaps for those whose cattle graze in the Rio Grande.

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Mr. CARTER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. CARTER. Chairman Price, in Texas, it's my understanding that over 400 landowners have already been consulted. The Governor of the State has been consulted. Sixty of the Governors, Homeland Security advisers in our State and other States have been consulted. Thirty-five city mayors and county judges have been consulted. Twenty-eight local sheriffs have been consulted, and seven town hall-type meetings have been held to discuss the border.

We are a part of the country where private property borders Mexico from Brownsville all the way to El Paso. And so we are very, very aware of private property rights and the rights of our cities, and we are consulting with them.

My concern is the withholding, the stall or withholding of funds when the process is already in place. We've already been working with our landowners on wildlife. And the environmental concerns, should we hold back our homeland security because of a fear that trial lawyers are going to file frivolous lawsuits to try to stall this fence on environmental concerns?

I think we need to take a hard look at what our goal is. And, quite frankly, our goal is to secure the people of the United States along the border and protect our borders from incursions.

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