An amendment that would remove almost $5.7 billion in earmarks from the House Democrats’ surface transportation bill was introduced by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX), and redirects the funds to a Treasury fund dedicated to border wall construction.
The amendment to the INVEST in America Act reads in part, “Obligation authority made available under this paragraph shall remain available until September 30, 2025; and shall be in addition to the amount of any limitation imposed on obligations for Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for fiscal year 2022 under section 102 or future fiscal years under any other provision of law.”
The proposed amendment also states, “There is established a fund in the Treasury to be known as the ‘Border Wall Fund, funds provided into the Border Wall Fund may be used for the sole purpose of completing a border wall on the United States Mexico border.”
In a statement, Roy said, “Democrats included nearly $5.7 billion in corrupt earmarks in the surface transportation measure that is expected to receive a vote this week in the House. Instead of using federal taxpayer dollars to fund pet projects like electric vehicle charging networks in California and million-dollar sidewalk expansions in Connecticut, Congress should redirect these funds to address the ongoing and very real crisis at our southern border.”
He also added, “Currently, primary, and secondary barriers cover only 771 miles of our nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and the Rio Grande Valley sector — the busiest migrant crossing area — is wide open with only 76 miles of border wall to cover the river. My amendment would strike every single earmark from this legislation and instead authorize a $5.7 billion Border Wall Fund in Treasury to support the completion of a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Whose district includes parts of San Antonio near the border Roy has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration’s response to the border crisis. He recently questioned why Texas should remain in the Union if the federal government refuses to police the deteriorating border issue.
On Friday, the Daily Caller News Foundation was told by Roy saying, “Every state in the union should send resources to the state of Texas to help us secure the border because, dadgummit, Texas is going to secure this border if the United States of America is failing to uphold its end of the bargain of our having a union.”
He continued, “I’ve got people in Texas that are starting to rattle about ‘what are we getting out of this equation? What are we getting out of being a part of a union that won’t secure its own border? You know what — it’s our border, too.”
According to Roy, Texas has “a duty as a state, as a sovereign people, to defend ourselves, the first duty of government — to secure the people” and to “take care of our communities.”
Sources: DailyWire, roy.house.gov
