House passes $5 billion border wall bill

  It is being reported here that the House has passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill for 2019 which includes $5 billion for 200 miles of border wall as well as money for more detention beds and ICE officers. Here is more:

The White House on Wednesday backed a House spending bill that includes $5 billion to build a border wall, saying it will pay for another 200 miles of physical barrier on the border with Mexico.

“This funding is critical to the administration’s top priority, securing the nation’s borders,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

“President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly noted that border security is national security,” said Mrs. Sanders, noting that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks underscored the importance of a secure immigration and visa system.

The $5 billion, included in the House’s Homeland Security funding bill for next year, would be for “physical barriers and associated technology along the U.S. southern border,” including $126 million for border technology, according to Republicans on the committee.

“It further appreciates the commitment of the House Committee on Appropriations to increasing the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beds, as well as accelerating the hiring of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, although even more of both are needed,” said Mrs. Sanders.

  It is now off to the Senate where it is doomed to fail because it will be blocked by the extremist left wing of the Democratic party who want to see ICE abolished. (These are many of the same Democrats who voted “present” yesterday rather than to go on the record either for or against ICE when they had the chance.)

  The Senate has its own version of the bill which includes $1.6 billion to build 65 miles of border wall so some version of these two bills will eventually be passed because it is for Homeland Security. However, I would expect it to be much closer to the Senate version once the “party of no” gets through with it and the Republicans cave.

malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium