A Republican spending bill making its way through Congress includes billions of dollars to reimburse states on the U.S.-Mexico border for immigration enforcement expenses. The measure was passed by U.S. House lawmakers this week and is now moving on to the Senate. Texas Republicans have long been advocating for this funding, with Jasper Scherer, a politics reporter for the Texas Tribune, noting that it’s a $12 billion sum largely destined for Texas. Governor Greg Abbott initially pushed for this funding, which has now come to fruition.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Rep. Chip Roy, both Republicans from Texas, are actively working to secure this funding in the final spending package. Scherer highlighted their efforts, stating, “They’ve been leading the charge to get that money included, which was up in the air for a while.” This development has put an end to the suspense surrounding whether Texas would receive the allocated funds. The motivation behind this push stems from Republican criticism of former President Joe Biden’s approach to border security. Governor Abbott’s 2021 disaster declaration and the launch of Operation Lone Star to deploy Texas National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety officers at the southern border are key factors that have led to this funding allocation.
Not really sure why this matters, but Operation Lone Star was specifically launched by Abbott in 2021 to address perceived gaps in the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement. Scherer emphasized, “Republicans believe that this funding should have originally come from the federal government.” This reimbursement to Texas is seen as a way to make up for what Republicans argue should have been federal spending in the first place. The ongoing efforts of Texas lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been instrumental in securing this funding, which has been a priority for the state. For more insights into the week’s political developments in Texas, check out the audio player above.
