[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 15, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H7592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IRAQ MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO SOUTHERN BORDER

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the troops in Iraq will be home by 
Christmas. Also coming back to America is a large amount of military 
equipment. Why not send some of that taxpayer-funded equipment to 
secure our southern border? Our border sheriffs say they are outmanned, 
outgunned, and out-financed by the drug cartels.
  Today, I've introduced legislation which mandates that 10 percent of 
certain military equipment coming back from Iraq will go to our 
southern border. If there's an urgent need, the equipment could be kept 
by the Department of Defense. This equipment includes Humvees, night-
vision equipment, and surveillance UAVs.
  This is not a new idea. The Department of Defense already has a 
program for distribution of surplus equipment. My legislation will 
simply utilize this already-existing program, expand it, and allocate 
resources to our southern border.
  Americans have paid for this equipment to bring safety and security 
to the people of Iraq. It's time we use this equipment to protect our 
own citizens from the invasion of the drug cartels.
  And that's just the way it is.

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