WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rep. Greg Stanton voted with a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives to fund the United States government for 2024, passing a second and final six-bill appropriations package.
The appropriations package includes a measured Homeland Security funding bill that will help in securing the southern border—providing robust funding to combat the devastating fentanyl epidemic, hire and retain qualified Border Patrol agents, and get critical assistance to border communities and non-profits set to run out of funding at the end of the month.
“It’s essential that the federal government provide the additional personnel, technology and other resources to improve border security that I have long called for, so that Arizona isn't bearing the cost of this crisis,” Stanton said. “While this package is an important step forward, Congress must also pass a long-term, bipartisan border security bill. I continue to call on House Republicans to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement, which would provide the Department of Homeland Security with the necessary policy changes and resources to secure our border.”
The 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill includes:
- $495 million to fund a record number of 22,000 Border Patrol Agents, and $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, and $37 million for operations of NII and other port of entry technology and opioid technology;
- $81 million for Operation Stonegarden to provide federal resources to local law enforcement agencies in border communities;
- $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;
- $1 billion increase for all Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel to sustain pay equity investments started last year.
Full bill text is available HERE. A detailed summary is available HERE.
A package containing six other appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 passed the House earlier this month and was signed into law by President Biden on March 9.