With the approval of Republican state leaders, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday pulled nearly half a billion dollars from various state agency budgets to fund the swelling cost of deploying thousands of National Guard troops to the southern border.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, shakes a National Guard member's hand after speaking during a news conference along the Rio Grande, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. The U.S. is flying Haitians camped in a Texas border town back to their homeland and blocking others from crossing the border from Mexico.
But in late January, facing funding shortfalls just several months into the fiscal year, Abbott and GOP state leaders shifted about $480 million from three state agencies to fund the National Guard deployment. The additional transfer Friday means it will cost Texas more than $1.3 billion to keep National Guard soldiers stationed along the border through the end of the fiscal year in August, more than triple the amount originally budgeted.
The money was transferred with the approval of Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan and the heads of the budget-writing committees in both chambers of the Legislature, state Rep. Greg Bonnen and state Sen. Joan Huffman. “Texans’ safety and security is our top priority, and we will continue fighting to keep our communities safe,” Abbott said. “This additional funding ensures the Lone Star State is fully equipped to provide Texans the border security strategy they demand and deserve.”
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