Reps. Gallego and McCaul ask for more funds for first responders in border communities
Two border-state lawmakers from opposing parties have penned a letter to the head of the House Appropriations Committee in a bipartisan effort to get more money for first responders in communities along the southern border.
Reps. Ruben Gallego, Arizona Democrat, and Michael McCaul, Texas Republican, sent a letter to committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, Texas Republican, and ranking member Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, on Tuesday asking for funding for first responders for the 2024 budget if Congress considers more funding for the Departments of Homeland Security or Justice.
“As you consider potential supplemental appropriations for Fiscal Year 2024, we request that any supplemental funding package include funding for critical programs to aid first responders in communities impacted by immigrants,” the lawmakers wrote. “Across the country, local officials, including police departments, fire departments, and Emergency Operations Centers, face significant resource strains related to the migrant crisis.”
The lawmakers’ letter comes as the government heads toward a possible shutdown, with a Nov. 17 deadline.
They mentioned the “dramatic uptick” in people coming through the southern border, saying that “over 269,000 crossings in the last month contributed to a historic 2.4 million total in the last twelve months.”
By: Mallory Wilson
Source: The Washington Times