Marsha Blackburn, TN, reports

From Marsha Blackburn, (R) Congresswoman Tennessee

... when the House passed the SECURE Fence Act, mandating the Department of Homeland Security to construct fencing and vehicle barriers along 800 miles of our Southern border. This bill passed the House and Senate with overwhelming support and was signed into law by the President.

But under a new liberal Democrat leadership actually paying for the fence is a whole different matter.
Despite this overwhelming support and a $2.4 billion dollar increase in the Homeland Security budget, next year's funding bill actually cuts funding for the fence by $187 million dollars and ties up an additional $700 million in bureaucratic red tape.

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, drug dealers and potential terrorists continue to slip through the cracks in our southern border while we wait to build this critical border security structure which is essential to the protection and security of the United States. I believe that the fence must be constructed without delay, and have introduced amendments along with some of my Republican colleagues to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for FY 2008 that will provide the necessary funding for our border fence.

This week the House began consideration of the appropriations bills for FY 2008. And while they promised to introduce legislation under a transparent process, the House Democrats brought these bills to the floor without any disclosure of earmarks that would be later placed in the bill. They tried to sneak billions of dollars in secret earmarks into our annual spending bills, which would be funded by the largest tax increase in American history. Congress and the American people would have no knowledge of these secret earmarks, but House Republicans, in particular the Republican Study Committee, stood up for the American taxpayer to bring transparency and accountability back to the earmark process.

I spent countless hours over the past several days on the House floor pushing for House leadership to release over 32,000 earmark requests totaling billions in taxpayer dollars. After several long nights, my colleagues and I were successful in forcing the Democrats to abandon their secret earmarks. The House Democrats claimed that Republicans were holding this bill hostage, but the only thing that was being held hostage was the American taxpayer.

Shock: House passes Tancredo measure to deny emergency funds to sanctuary cities, Hot Air via The People's Patriot who writes "Illegal Immigration’s Puzzling Polls Provide Insight"

What can we do to set the immigration agenda? at The Virtuous Republican

No representation! at Common Sense America

Has Georgia been had?, at GA Crime Watch

In a Rare Instance of Lucidity, the New York Times "Gets It" at Miss Beth's Victory Dance

The Dishonor of Tying Border Security to Amnesty at Maggie's Notebook

How your Senators will Lie to you about their Immigration Vote, at stickNstein

What part of "no" don't they understand? at The Violence Worker

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

Comments

[Sam Pierce]

http://conservablogs.com/conservativecommonman/2007/06/16/a-new-american-revolution-fought-with-words-and-ideas/

[Violence Worker]

I live in Tacoma, WA

VW

[Debbie]

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. I wasn't sure where you were located.

[Violence Worker]

You always have great stuff. You're one of my favorite CAII bloggers. (I cross post your stuff alot! :) )

In any case, all of our Senators and reps out here are Democrats. I may as well be talking to the wall as talk to them.

VW