Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today said he is glad a spending bill working its way through the Senate contains millions of dollars to secure the U.S.-Mexico border region.

In response to escalating drug cartel violence in Mexico and its affect on the border region, Bingaman this year has secured $15 million to expand Project Gunrunner, an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) initiative that seeks to stem the flow of guns from the United States to Mexico.  He also helped secure $30 million in grant funding for border law enforcement agencies to ensure they have the tools they need to fight crime. 

The 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Bill, which the Senate will take up as soon as next week, builds on that progress.  It contains $250 million to combat violence and drug trafficking, of which $140 million is for the Department of Homeland Security to hire additional law enforcement and intelligence personnel, and to pay overtime for those already working along the border. 

The measure also contains $100 million to allow the Department of Justice to hire agents and investigators to apprehend violent fugitives and drug traffickers, and to upgrade technology to facilitate cooperation with Mexican authorities. 

“The border security funding we set aside earlier this year was a start.  This legislation acknowledges that the drug violence in Mexico – and its effect on our country – is a problem we’re not going to solve overnight, but it is another step in strengthening our security efforts,” Bingaman said. 

The significant portion of the spending bill will fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.