Cuellar: Democrats for Border Security applaud FY24 homeland security funding bill

We launched the Democrats for Border Security Task Force last week for a simple reason – to enact common sense border security policy and deliver for the American people.

To that end, this bipartisan package includes a thoughtful, measured Homeland Security funding bill that will help in securing the southern border, but much more needs to be done.

Specifically, the 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill contains:

• $495 million to fund a record number of 22,000 Border Patrol Agents
• $125 million for increases to Border Patrol overtime pay authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
• $20 million for an additional 150 CBP Officers to support counter fentanyl efforts
• $283.5 million for new border security technology to secure the border
• $103.5 million to sustain current border security technology, including Autonomous Security Towers, cross-border tunnel detection, and Non-Intrusive Inspection equipment to detect fentanyl
• $650 million for the Shelter and Services Grant Program to provide funding to nonprofits and NGOs as they assist migrants awaiting the outcome of their immigration proceedings
• $81 million for Operation Stonegarden to provide federal resources to local law enforcement agencies in border communities
• $1 billion increase for all Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel to sustain pay equity investments started last year

We are pleased that this bill provides robust funding for technology and personnel to combat the deadly fentanyl epidemic, which affects all our districts across the country.

In addition, we support the record funding increase for the U.S. Border Patrol, which includes $125 million for increases to agents' overtime pay. This will be crucial for Border Patrol’s efforts to hire and retain qualified agents to keep our communities safe.

However, even with these investments, Congress needs to pass a bipartisan border security bill.

We continue to call on the House Majority to consider the Senate bipartisan border security agreement, which would provide DHS with the necessary policy and funding changes to secure our border as well as bring relief to our agencies, personnel, and border communities.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, TX-28, and his colleagues in the Democrats for Border Security Task Force. Cuellar is co-chair of the group along with U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, NY-03. In addition to Cuellar and Suozzi the group comprises U.S. Reps. Colin Allred (TX-32), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Jim Costa (CA-21), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Dina Titus (NV-01), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Susan Wild (PA-07), Jared Golden (ME-02), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Mike Levin (CA-49), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Susie Lee (NV-03), Matt Cartwright (PA-08), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Pat Ryan (NY-18), and Emilia Sykes (OH-13). They penned the column after the FY24 Homeland Security Appropriations bill passed the House.