Senate Diverts Funds To Border Patrol.

Source: Breitbart.com

Poor Bush...he just can't win.

Actually, he's getting what he wants, but not the whole amount. The Senate voted to divert $1.9 billion that was going to fund the Iraq War and put it to other uses--like protecting the border and giving money to the Coast Guard.

The Senate voted Wednesday to divert some of the money President Bush requested for the war in Iraq to instead increase patrols against illegal immigrants on the nation's borders and provide the Coast Guard with new boats and helicopters.

An amendment cutting Bush's Iraq request by $1.9 billion to pay for new Border Patrol agents, aircraft and some fencing at border crossings widely used by illegal immigrants was adopted on 59-39 vote.

While the border security funds had sweeping support, Democrats and Republicans argued over whether the cuts to Pentagon war funds would harm troops on the ground in Iraq. The cuts, offered by Judd Gregg, R- N.H., trim Bush's request for the war by almost 3 percent but don't specify how.

The vote came in the wake of a toughly worded promise by the White House to veto the $106.5 billion measure unless it is cut back to below $95 billion.

I wish I had C-SPAN right now because I bet this was quite the argument (Senate debates usually are).

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said Gregg's cuts would "take money from troop pay, body armor and even joint improvised explosive device defeat fund. Now that is a false choice and it is a wrong choice."

Gregg responded heatedly, arguing that the cuts eventually would come from other parts of the massive Pentagon budget rather than U.S. forces in Iraq.

"To come down here and allege that these funds are going to come out of the needs of the people on the front lines in Iraq or Afghanistan is pure poppycock," he said.

I bet Hillary liked being told she's full of "poppycock". Yikes.

In its veto statement, the White House said the bill contains too many items that are "unrelated to the war or emergency hurricane relief needs." It said a final House-Senate compromise on it "must remain focused on addressing urgent national priorities while maintaining fiscal discipline."

Ha ha! Fiscal discipline? The White House asks for fiscal discipline??

The move is likely to force senators to drop most of their $14 billion in add-ons for farm aid, highway repairs, aid to the Gulf Coast fishing industry and other projects. The additional money had won the ire of the White House and GOP congressional leaders and scorn from conservatives allies whose support is crucial on Election Day.

The bill is sure to be carved back in House-Senate negotiations next month, and Bush may very well not have to follow through on his veto promise.

The White House statement said farm aid in the bill is unnecessary after a booming 2005 crop year and that a controversial $700 million relocation of a Mississippi freight rail line would unfairly put taxpayers on the hook for privately owned infrastructure.

Bush insists that total spending in the bill be capped at his $92.2 billion request for Iraq and hurricane relief, though he is willing to accept $2.3 billion in the bill to prevent an outbreak of avian flu. His February budget anticipated the funding, but the White House has been slow to follow up with a detailed request.

Of course, because more funding for new mega-prisons and air fields in Iraq is more important than helping out people here at home!

I'm all for curbing spending since we have a humongous deficit problem again (thanks to Bush), but the cutting is going to the wrong projects. Worry about fixing stuff here in America first before you go spreading "democracy" to the rest of the world, idiot.

Tags: [Bush], [Senate], [Bush asks for $92 billion to help fund war, Katrina disaster, and bird flu preparation], [Bush threatens to veto bill that goes over what he requested], [Senate votes to cut funding from war to pay Coast Guard and border patrol], [senators to drop most of their $14 billion in add-ons for farm aid, highway repairs, aid to the Gulf Coast fishing industry and other projects]