[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H5734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE UNARMED NATIONAL GUARD WILL GUARD COMPUTERS

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the administration says they will be 
sending 1,200 National Guard troops to the southern border region on 
August 1. But they're not going to the actual border. They'll be far 
behind the lines, guarding computers. And the National Guard will be 
unarmed while they are guarding the computers.
  The Border Patrol welcomes the National Guard at the border. They 
appreciate the help. But the Border Patrol agents made it real clear 
they need armed National Guard to help them stop the criminal cartels 
at the border. Further, the Border Patrol will need to guard the 
National Guard. Now, how does that make sense?
  Mr. Speaker, we have 15 million unemployed Americans already. We 
should hire some of those 15 million unemployed to do the technical 
work behind the lines, and the National Guard should be armed and on 
the front lines of the border doing what they're trained to do: Protect 
the country. We need the National Guard with boots on the ground on the 
border, not rebooting computers somewhere behind the border.
  And that's just the way it is.

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