Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he used his influence in the Senate to push the Trump administration to release more than $10 billion in border security funding that Congress had already approved for Texas.
According to an interview with Semafor, Cornyn became frustrated by what he described as a nearly yearlong delay in reimbursing Texas for border security spending. As Congress prepared to consider President Donald Trump’s $70 billion immigration spending bill, Cornyn said he decided to use his vote as leverage.
“Basically, I told Senator Barrasso and Senator [John] Thune: ‘There’s a price for my vote, and it is to get the administration to release the money,’” Cornyn told Semafor during an interview in his Capitol office.
Cornyn said that after speaking with Senate Republican leadership, he received a call from White House budget director Russ Vought.
“Next thing I got is a call from Russ Vought, and Russ said, ‘we’ll put a notice of funding,’” Cornyn told Semafor.
The Texas Republican said the episode demonstrates how senators can use their positions and legislative influence to achieve policy objectives. With more than six months remaining in his Senate term, Cornyn indicated he is prepared to continue using available procedural and political tools when necessary.
“That’s one example I think of what you can do when you have some cards to play,” Cornyn told Semafor.
The information was provided by Natalie Yezbick, communications director for Sen. John Cornyn, who directed readers to the Semafor interview. READ MORE from Burgess Everett in Semafor here.
