Blunt Blasts Democrats for Removing Border Security Funds from Defense Bill

Republican Whip Urges Majority to Replace Funding Before Bringing Spending Bill Back to the House

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today after congressional Democrats removed $3 billion in border security funding from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations conference report:

"The American people are rightly concerned about safeguarding our homeland, securing our borders, and upholding the rule of law. Unfortunately, these genuine and legitimate concerns are lost on congressional democrats, who just this week decided to strip $3 billion in border security funding from the Defense Appropriations bill. If this Democrat-led Congress hopes to regain the trust and faith of the American people, this funding, at a minimum, must be put back in this bill."

NOTE: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) successfully offered an amendment to add $3 billion in border security funding to the Senate version of the Defense spending measure. This week, however, House and Senate conferees stripped this funding out of the bill. The two chambers are expected to take up the conference report in the coming days.

SOURCE Office of the Republican Whip