President Obama cuts border security budget

Jim Kouri
Law Enforcement Examiner
February 2, 2010

While telling the American people that national security is a priority in his administration, President Barack Obama submitted a 2011 budget proposal that includes cuts to U.S. border security.

The proposed budget cuts include a reduction in Border Patrol agents and a cut in the amount of money allocated for the so-called “virtual fence” on the U.S.-Mexico border, which critics claim is a pipe dream in lieu of a real border fence.

[efoods]In the midst of a firestorm over Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano’s failure to appear before a Congressional committee hearing, officials from her office confirmed the proposed cuts on Monday. They said, however, that there would be no lay-offs of Border Patrol agents and the reduction in positions would be achieved through attrition as agents retire or transfer to other Homeland Security departments.

In order to ward off vocal condemnation of this latest Obama proposal, White House officials claim the cuts won’t reduce the effectiveness of the U.S. Border Patrol, which President George W. Bush doubled in size. At it’s apex, there were more than 20,000 agents assigned to northern and southern borders.

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This article was posted: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 7:05 pm

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