Blunt on the Defensive for Vote Against Homeland Security Funding
The KC Star unearthed a bizarre Roy Blunt vote today – in June, he was one of just 37 Republicans to vote against the 2010 Homeland Security budget. Every other member from Missouri (both parties) voted for the bill, which passed 389-37 in the House.
Among other things, the bill included:
- $1.1 billion to equip airports with explosives detection systems, almost double the existing funding
- Funding for more than 20,000 border patrol agents, about double the number employed before the 2001 terrorist attack
- Threat assessments for the terrorism suspects being held at Guantanamo Bay
- $10 billion for the Coast Guard, including $242 million in funding for operations in the Persian Gulf and against pirates off the coast of Somalia
In response to The Star's request for an explanation, Blunt's spokesman says he "was concerned about too much spending on additional bureaucracies," and then provided a short list of bureaucracies he said needed more funding.
However, press reports at the time suggest Blunt's vote was part of a larger effort by the House GOP leadership to protest the overall appropriations process, and I assume Blunt, John Boehner and other GOP leaders all thought their vote against important Homeland Security funding would be a no-cost exercise.**
**Republicans can vote against homeland security budgets and troop funding, but their tough-on-terrorism credentials can never really be questioned. Meanwhile, Democratic votes against similar legislation are obvious examples of why they hate America.
