In this April 19, 2011 file photo, a member of the National Guard checks on his colleague inside a Border Patrol Skybox near the Hidalgo International Bridge in Hidalgo, Texas. Texas Adjutant General John Nichols told The Associated Press on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, that the troops will help deter illicit traffic amid a record spike of unaccompanied minors crossing the border. (AP Photo/Delcia Lopez, File)
AUSTIN — State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte says the Texas National Guard troops sent to the border by Gov. Rick Perry will run out of money sometime next week if state leaders don’t take action to secure more funding immediately, according to a letter the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor sent to two top lawmakers.
Van de Putte, who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and Military Installations, is asking Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus to jumpstart the decision making process about the state’s plans to fund the National Guard.
The letter raises fresh questions about how the estimated $12-million-a-month National Guard mission is going to be funded — one of finer details Perry so far has avoided delving into (Note: Congress is currently considering a border bill that has $35 million tucked away for the National Guard but the likelihood of it becoming law anytime soon is slim).
In the letter, Van de Putte says that Perry’s plan is “lacking clarity” and the state must move to ensure the National Guard is “provided the resources they need and deserve.”
“The vague explanation given as to how this operation may be funded is extremely concerning to me,” she wrote.
Van de Putte calls on Dewhurst and Straus, co-chairs of the Legislative Budget Board, to put National Guard funding on Tuesday’s agenda when the 10-member committee that makes budget and policy recommendations for legislative appropriations meets.
She notes in the letter that unlike a surge of state troopers directed toward the border, which will cost $1.3 million weekly through the end of the year, the National Guard can’t shuffle around funds and then ask the Legislature to reimburse it via a supplemental appropriation next session.
“Under this deployment, the current TxNG’s appropriation will be depleted by the first week in August — putting a stop to the entire operation if additional funds are not secured,” Van de Putte wrote. “I strongly believe that it is irresponsible for this state to send our Guard to the border without ensuring they receive the funds they need to complete their mission.”
Reacting to the letter, Perry spokesman Rich Parsons said: “We appreciate Sen. Van de Putte’s support for funding this important National Guard mission to secure our border.”
Dewhurst, Straus and the LBB did not return requests for comment.