WASHINGTON (AP) — The House took up a bill on Wednesday that funds a 14 percent increase for food stamps as more people become eligible for the program because of rising unemployment.
Across the Capitol, a Senate panel approved sharply higher budgets for the regulators of the securities and futures markets. Republicans, meanwhile, won floor votes to step up requirements for fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border and require companies doing business with the federal government to verify that they aren't employing illegal immigrants.
The buzz of activity came as the House and Senate dug into the 12 annual appropriations bills for the agency operating budgets set by Congress each year.
Funding for the food stamp program makes up half of a $123.8 billion House measure for agriculture and nutrition programs for the 2010 budget year beginning Oct. 1. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, would receive a 10 percent increase, to $7.5 billion.
The legislation provides $3 billion for the Food and Drug Administration, a 14 percent increase. International food assistance also would get a boost, with increases for emergency humanitarian food needs and aid for poor children around the world.
The agriculture spending measure is set to pass the House on Thursday over protests from Republicans, who are irate that Democratic leaders are severely cutting back on the long-standing right of rank-and-file members to offer amendments.
In the Senate, Republicans won two rare floor victories as debate continued on a $42.9 billion measure to fund the Homeland Security Department. First, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., pushed through a plan to extend permanently the E-Verify program, which uses the Social Security database to check whether workers are in the country legally. His plan would require companies doing business with the federal government to use the system.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., won a 54-44 vote to require double-layer fences along 700 miles of the border with Mexico rather than vehicle barriers and high-tech equipment.
DeMint said the U.S.-Mexico border "has become a battleground" as drug and weapons traffickers, along with illegal immigrants, move too freely. He said the department is spending too much on "virtual" fencing such as motion detectors. Those barriers, he said, don't work as well as a real fence designed to block people crossing the border on foot.
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, countered that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency was the best judge of fencing for various parts of the border. He said some stretches of physical fencing can cost up to $5 million per mile.
DeMint's amendment is likely to be dropped during House-Senate talks on a compromise version of the bill.
The Homeland Security measure is just the second of the 12 annual appropriations bills to reach the Senate floor. The Senate Appropriations Committee and its various subcommittees have been busy, however.
One Senate Appropriations panel easily approved a $34.3 billion measure for the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers' water projects. Another appropriations panel adopted a $24.4 billion proposal for the Treasury Department, the White House and the federal contribution to the District of Columbia.
The latter measure contains a record 16 percent budget increase for the Securities and Exchange Commission and a 21 percent boost for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, prompted by recent financial scandals.
"We provide the SEC with ... an unprecedented increase in resources so they can hire the technical experts and bring on the best technology to catch these crooks," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "We will be watching the SEC carefully to make sure this money is well spent and the national embarrassment of Bernard Madoff is not repeated."
Madoff recently was sentenced to a 150-year prison term for running the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.
Durbin's measure also would provide $13 million to fund a District of Columbia school voucher program popular with Republicans. But it would provide enough money only to cover students already enrolled in the program, to the dismay of Republicans but consistent with the budget request of President Barack Obama.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Now that E-verify has not been sacrificed for the business community, it should be implemented across these United States. Right now rogue states like California a self branded--SANCTUARY STATE--should be forced by federal mandate on every government employee to be vetted by E-Verify. This is including every industry, business no matter who is on their payroll. There is no doubt in my mind that both the Federal, state and municipal governments have thousands of illegal workers, who are hiding out in plain site? A huge purge across the board will open jobs for documented legal residents and citizens and start the extraction process of foreign national by self-deportation. Remember that California business and contractors have had the luxury of hiring cheap labor, without any restrictions for decades.
However the tide is turning finally within Washington and hopefully the insistence of --THE PEOPLE-- drumming in their ears. The politicians have probably been stupefied by the barrage of irate voters calling for a permanent E-Verify adjoined to the Save Act. Under close scrutiny the people have demanded a double layer fence as originally designed by Rep. Duncan Hunter and upgrading E-verification, to enhance the search for illegal labor. The majority of liberal news desks, foundations, open border and free traders who don't want their supply of cheap labor severed, have given no indication that errors in immigration status can be resolved in the Social Security local office. California should certainly be a goal of ICE enforcement, specifically Los Angeles County and counterpart San Francisco, whose Mayors, Judges and elected officers have taken it upon themselves to shield illegal immigrants.
They have allowed easy access to Medi-Cal and a whole host of benefits, that was to support the bone fide population. No wonder the Great state is sinking under a $24. billion red ink deficit? State government used their devious influence to table Proposition 187, before being filed with the higher courts. We must not let down our guard, because once upon a time when there was no communications through the Internet, our politicians could easily stamp on our rights. There was no instant alarm bell of what legislation was secretly being discussed in Washington. Now we know what our elected officials are conniving behind our backs. That's why the American public has stayed ignorant and not so happy over the years. We only found out about laws afterwards, when it was too late to fight enactment.
We are already aware of a BLANKET AMNESTY being authored by Sen. Chuck Schumer, which will place upon the American people even more hardship in higher taxes to support illegal immigrants who have settled here. That is not even that is the main catastrophe? Although we are told that stricter immigration enforcement will be orchestrated , it will not stop the tens of millions who will swarm into America in the months to come? It will be like a human locust storm crossing our borders, in the hope of another AMNESTY? It is what the Council of Foreign Relations want? Unchecked, unfettered cheap labor as in their North American Union agenda. GOOGLE--the (CFR) and find their intentions?
The results of a BLANKET AMNESTY will not just be the irreparable costs attributed to feeding millions of more people, government benefits. But it will submerge us in un-reversible momentum towards OVERPOPULATION. From 305 million population--NOW--but an extra 135 million in 40 years. Read more at NUMBERSUSA, CAPSWEB AMERICANPATROL & FAIR for the facts. CALL YOUR LAWMAKERS NOW AT 202-224-3121.
