House panel approves $10B for border wall
The bill includes the $10 billion in border wall funding, $5 billion to improve ports of entry and adds 5,000 agents to both the Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection.
The legislation would also authorize the federal government to reimburse states up to $35 million for use of National Guard assets to reinforce border security.
The legislation will head to the House floor amid debate over whether border security provisions should be attached to potential legislation to protect recipients of the rescinded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Democrats criticized the bill as a political stunt to appease President Trump, who proposed the border wall as a central point of his campaign.
“There was a time in the not too far distant past when this committee cared for facts, data and results,” said ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).
Thompson called the Republican proposal an attempt to “fulfill a misguided campaign promise.”
The Hill
10/5/17
Magnolia Tribune
