By Justin O’Brien
May 1, 2006

In an indication that the United States Senate is showing an increasing desire to ensure the fight against terrorism at home is properly funded, Senators voted 59-39 April 26 to use $1.9 billion for border security. The funds were originally intended to support the Iraq conflict. The money is part of the Senate’s supplemental appropriations bill. Border security, meshed with the national debate over immigration reform and the President’s proposed guest worker program, has become a high-profile hot-button issue for the country and for conservatives particularly in recent months.

The $1.9 billion will provide the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Border Patrol with funding for new helicopters, airplanes, patrol boats and communications equipment without boosting the overall cost of the proposed emergency spending bill. The bill in its current form has a price tag of over $106 billion. President Bush has again threatened to veto the bill unless its overall cost is reduced by more than $11 billion to a total cost of less than $95 billion.

While the 59 votes in favor of the funding shift is not enough to prevent a presidential veto, 35 Senate Republicans have sent the President a letter telling him that if the President decides to veto the bill, they will support him. Some fiscal conservatives in the Republican party have expressed concern about spending bills and limits in the run-up to this November’s mid-term elections.