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Spending bill shrinks border
fence
S.A. Miller and Stephen Dinan
Washington
Times
Tuesday December 18, 2007
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.
(Article continues below)
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.
Full
article here.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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