Bush signed the bill authorizing the fence, authorized Chertoff to waive all environmental obstacles and successfully beat back the envirowhackos in court on this issue. Now it is up to the Homeland Security Subcommittees of the Senate Appropriations Committees to actually pony up the money.
The truth is that there was initial funding of $1.2 billion to the Department of Homeland Security marked for border security, but not specifically for the border fence and the law withholds $950 million of it until the House and Senate appropriations committees approve the design, location and length of the fence. At the estimated $3M per mile, how much fence are you gonna build with ~$50M? Not much. Also, just like Hunter's grandstanding is now, it was only an election year ploy...they passed the authorization in September, right before the elections.
To make matters worse, Congress is still holding this up, and they went on vacation without taking care of it. Bush had originally threatened to veto the defense bill because Congress added so much pork to it. Congress then attached the funding for the fence to the defense bill to insure Bush couldn't veto all the pork they added to this bill without inflaming his base on the fence issue.
Here's a recent article on the subject:
Conservative lawmakers who say the American people need a signal that Congress is serious about cracking down on illegal immigration pushed Wednesday for more border security funding in a defense spending bill.
The Senate gave a nod to one of those efforts, agreeing 94-3 to an amendment to the Defense Department appropriations bill providing $1.83 billion for 370 miles of triple-layered fencing and 461 miles of vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexican border.
The defense bill is far from final. A vote on the larger spending bill is pending and if passed would have to be reconciled with the House bill.
The Senate immigration bill authorizes construction of 370 miles of fencing and several more miles of vehicle barriers but does not provide funding for them. The House has authorized but not funded 700 miles of fencing.
More shenanigans:
Senate Votes Down Funding Of Border Fence
Democrats Vote Against Funding Border Fence
As a side note, I can't believe the number of people on here that don't know the difference between authorization and appropriations:
Authorization and Appropriations
Bottom line, Hunter needs to put our tax money where his mouth is.
Hunter is the man! The more Fred stagnates, the more Hunter beams. I really wish he’d capture national attention. I want him more than Fred!!
Bottom line, Hunter needs to put our tax money where his mouth is.
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I do not dispute anything that you say, but people would be less inclined to lay any of this on Bush if 1) he had not pushed for the Shamnesty bill, and 2) he would lean on Congress for the funding of the fence at least half as much as he did for the Shamnesty bill.
I say this as a proud, get-out-of-Cheney’s-house Bushbot of longstanding.
He doesn't want the fence, and will not lift a finger politically to get it built. He wants the constant stream of slave labor coming over the border. His grade on this issue is a big "F", and his legacy will tell that story.