Biden asks for billions in border security
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is asking Congress to approve more than $6 billion in border security funding to hire 1,300 agents, 1,600 asylum officers and install more than 100 inspection machines meant to catch fentanyl at ports of entry — all part of a massive spending request the administration rolled out Friday with emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine.
Biden pitched the package, which would cost a combined $106 billion, as “an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs” and a “smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations.”
But the request comes as border security has been a major sticking point in the government spending battle that nearly led to a shutdown earlier this month. That is unlikely to change, with nearly 234,000 border crossings reported in August, according to the most recent federal data, and Texas Republicans pushing for Trump-era border policies to be included in funding bills that would restrict asylum and require those migrants seeking refuge in the United States to “remain in Mexico.”
The president’s request for more than $6 billion for border operations, including nearly $1.5 billion aimed at curbing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., comes as Republicans increasingly have focused on the deadly toll of the drug as they have hammered Biden’s handling of the border. More than 100,000 Americans die from drug overdoses a year, a fivefold increase from two decades ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
“We will not be lectured by those who refuse to act,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda D. Young said. “As we’ve said repeatedly, Congress needs to take action to provide sufficient resources for the border.”
The White House says the money would pay for more than 100 new large-scale scanners at ports of entry, where the vast majority of fentanyl coming into the country is seized. The new technology will allow Border Patrol to search far more vehicles entering the country, according to White House officials. They said agents would be able to inspect some 40% of passenger vehicles, up from just around 2%, and 70% of cargo carriers, up from 17%. The funding would also help hire some 1,000 new law enforcement officers tasked with stopping cartels from sending fentanyl into the U.S.
The president’s funding request comes as Congress has been frozen for weeks as House Republicans struggle to coalesce around a speaker nominee to replace Kevin Mccarthy, who they stripped of the gavel earlier this month. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the conservative Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, again fell short on Friday in the third round of voting this week. Without a speaker, the House is unable to act on any legislation, even with another potential government shutdown looming after a Nov. 17 deadline to fund the government.
Some Texas Republicans have said they will not support any government funding bills that do not include strict border measures, including resuming border wall construction, reinstating Trump-era rules requiring asylum-seekers to “remain in Mexico” and restricting asylum to block the vast majority of migrants seeking refuge in the United States. They also have pushed to reimburse Texas for Gov. Greg Abbott’s $9.8 billion border security initiative, known as Operation Lone Star.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, predicted the White House’s proposal would not go far enough for most Republicans.
“I’m sure it’s going to be milquetoast and inadequate,” Cornyn told The Hill, adding that a failure to include policy reforms “would be a problem for passing the overall bill.”