A secure border has been the basis of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The operation has already spent $11.1 billion; however, that is not enough. The Texas House approved another $6.5 billion despite low numbers of illegal crossings. Abbott has a spending problem regarding the border, as it lacks a specific plan for allocating funds, leaving representatives to ask for a diversion of funds to other causes.
Abbott must holistically consider the issues plaguing Texas and become transparent about how the state spends the border funds.
In June, Abbott commented, “Texas will not stop until we gain full operational control of the border.” Control of the border has changed.
“Customs and Border Patrol literally has almost 100% operational control of the border, which means that our country is secure and that we know who’s coming into this country,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Given Noem’s statement, further spending on the border must be reassessed. Large amounts of money are no longer necessary for Abbott’s agenda, so transparency must be at the forefront of his spending.
The $6.5 billion would be split among the governor’s office, the Texas Military Department and the Department of Public Safety. The governor’s office would receive $2.9 billion. The TMD receives $2.3 billion, and the DPS would receive $1.2 billion for border personnel. Further delineation of the funds’ uses is not provided.
Texas House Bill 1994 calls for audits of Operation Lone Star, which is necessary if Abbott expects taxpayers to continue funding his plans. The audits would create accountability for the governor’s office and their spending of taxpayer dollars. They will likely demonstrate that the funds can and should be allocated to causes that impact the daily lives of Texans, such as teacher salaries and housing assistance.
Some House Democrats proposed amendments to divert border funds towards other causes. However, all attempts were unsuccessful. Representative Ana-Maria Rodriguez was one of the biggest advocates for reallocating the funds. Rodriguez proposed allocating $5 million from the border budget to track Texas’ economic instability. The data collection would be the first step in aiding working-class Texan families. The switch would take away 7% of the border budget, leaving well over $6 billion.
After Representative Tony Tinderhold argued for leaving the border budget alone, Rodriguez responded, “We could give you a trillion dollars, and you would still cry with this red meat nonsense. Let us focus on our job, which is to save the lives and better the lives of working Texans.”
Rodriguez’s sentiments must be taken to heart. Abbott has been excessively spending on his border issue instead of helping Texans. The working-class Texan is no longer the priority of Abbott or the Texas House of Representatives. The governor’s neglect of the hardworking Texan has shown in his dismissal of public K-12 educators. It can further be found in his refusal to support programming that would uplift the Texas community and his support for an operation that has been rendered useless.
