Lawmakers in Texas say hands off recovery funds
WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers Tuesday urging President Donald Trump not to use recovery money for Hurricane Harvey to end the partial government shutdown over a border wall.
In a letter signed by both Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, the lawmakers expressed unanimous support for border security, but made no mention of Trump’s $5.7 billion border wall demand, which has divided Democrats and most Republicans.
“We strongly support securing the border with additional federal resources including tactical infrastructure, technology, ports of entry improvements and personnel,” they wrote. “However, we are strongly opposed to using funds appropriated by Congress for disaster relief and mitigation for Texas for any unintended purpose. As Texans continue to rebuild and prepare for future disasters, these funds, appropriated by Congress to be spent directly on rebuilding and mitigation, are critical to helping our communities recover, preventing future flooding and protecting our constituents.”
The letter cited recent reports that the administration is considering using unspent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funds intended to mitigate natural disasters in Puerto Rico, California, Texas and other areas hit by storms.
Since Harvey struck the Gulf Coast in 2017, Congress has passed three separate disaster funding bills, including a 2018 spending bill with more than $15 billion for Army Corps works projects.
Administration officials have not specified what Army Corps funds might be targeted, but they have said that disaster relief funds are off the table.
“The president met with leadership of the Army Corps of Engineers to discuss methods of construction for the barriers along the southern border,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Saturday. “But they did not discuss, and there are no plans, to take money from disaster relief funding to pay for any potential projects.”
Concerns about disaster relief funds came to a head last week after Trump threatened to declare a national emergency and go around Congress to get the border wall money he wants. He also has said he might use military construction funds. civil