Texas is taking on the federal government over securing the border it shares with Mexico.
But at least one Texas lawmaker wants the rest of the country to pay for it.
The Lone Star State has spent nearly $4 billion since 2020 on trying to shore up border security. That's a lot of money. Money that could have been spent on other things Texans need.
U.S. Rep Roger Williams, a Republican from the 25th District between Fort Worth and Abilene, has introduced a bill called the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act." The proposed legislation would force the federal government to reimburse Texas to the tune of more than $3.7 billion for it's border security expenses.
"As the border crisis rages on, President Biden has failed to uphold his duty to defend our borders from foreign invasion, leaving border states like Texas to fend for themselves," Williams said in a statement to FOX News. "I am proud to introduce the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act to ensure Texans don't have to continually shell out taxpayer dollars to secure the southern border of the United States."
No word when, or even if, the bill will come up for a vote. In our view it's not likely to ever see the light of day.
That's because there's not much in it for other lawmakers. If the bill never makes it to the floor, representatives from other states won't have to vote and face any blowback from their own constituents.
It looks like Texas is going to do what it's going to do, spend what it's going to spend, whether or not the feds cough up any reimbursement cash. So even the loudest border hawks an go along for the free ride without putting your money where their mouths are.