Bill allocates $1.6 billion for Trump’s border wall
By Niv Elis -
07/11/17
© Getty Images
The House Appropriations Committee on
Tuesday released a bill allocating $1.6
billion to begin construction of a physical
barrier along the U.S. border with Mexico,
one of President Trump’s central campaign
promises.
The bill funding the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2018 also
negates one of Trump’s central promises,
that Mexico would pay for the construction
of the wall.
“Keeping Americans safe by protecting our
homeland is a top priority. This funding
bill provides the resources to begin
building a wall along our southern border,
enhance our existing border security
infrastructure, hire more border patrol
agents, and fund detention operations,” said
House Appropriations Homeland Security
Subcommittee Chairman John Carter.
Earlier in the day, DHS spokesman David
Lapan said that the requested funding
would be crucial to moving the project
beyond current repairs, replacements and
prototype projects.
“On the DHS side it’s clear that we’ve
gotten a direction to secure the
southern border, that a wall and barrier
is part of that process along with
people and technology and that funding
from Congress is required for us to move
forward on that,” he said.
Conservative lawmakers in recent days
had begun warning that they would pull
their votes from a budget and spending
plan that failed to fund the wall.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark
Meadows (R-N.C.) went so far as to tell
Breitbart News that Trump would not sign
a spending measure if a wall were not
funded, though the White House has not
commented on the matter.
The bill's accompanying report,
to be released next week, will
specify where the segments of
the wall are to be built and
their associated funding.
In total, the bill allocates
$13.8 billion to customs and
border protection. That includes
the $1.6 billion for the wall,
$100 million to hire 500 more
Border Patrol agents, $131
million for new border
technology, $106 million for
aircraft and sensors and $109
million for "non-intrusive
inspection equipment."
It also adds $619.7 million to
Immigration and Customs Enforcement over
current levels, bringing total funding
for ICE to $7 billion.
–– Rafael Bernal contributed
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