Cornyn, Cruz, Abbott, Texas GOP Urges President Trump Not To Use Harvey Recovery Funds On Border Wall
WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas leaders in Austin and Washington are urging President Trump not to use federal funds set aside for Hurricane Harvey recovery on a border wall.
U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), Governor Greg Abbott, and Texas members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday sent a letter to President Trump urging him not to use that money in order to end the partial government shutdown.
The president could declare an emergency and build the wall with other funds without Congressional approval.
The letter states:
"We strongly support securing the border with additional federal resources including tactical infrastructure, technology, ports of entry improvements and personnel," they wrote. "However, we are strongly opposed to using funds appropriated by Congress for disaster relief and mitigation for Texas for any unintended purpose. As Texans continue to rebuild and prepare for future disasters, these funds, appropriated by Congress to be spent directly on rebuilding and mitigation, are critical to helping our communities recover, preventing future flooding and protecting our constituents."
Additional cosigners include U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (TX-10), Randy Weber (TX-14), Will Hurd (TX-23), Kevin Brady (TX-8), Pete Olson (TX-22), Lance Gooden (TX-5), Brian Babin (TX-36), Kenny Marchant (TX-24), Bill Flores (TX-17), Dan Crenshaw (TX-2), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7), Michael Conaway (TX-11), Roger Williams (TX-25), Kay Granger (TX-12), John Carter (TX-31), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Filemon Vela (TX-34), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29).
The letter went on to say, "We ask that you ensure necessary efforts on border security do not jeopardize long-term hurricane recovery and mitigation in Texas."
Here is the full letter: