5/12/2009

This is how Obama is going to pay for his program to keep guns from supposedly going to Mexico

The OC Register has this:

President Barack Obama's plan to redirect federal funds to the southwest border could mean Orange County stands to lose nearly $6.5 million in funds to house illegal immigrants with criminal convictions – while the state could lose $110 million.
Local and state officials have joined members of Congress who are up in arms about Obama's announcement last week to kill a program that has provided about half a billion dollars in federal funds to states and local municipalities for the incarceration of illegal immigrants with criminal records. . . .

About $400 million will still go to communities in fiscal year 2009 for the jailing of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of at least one felony or two misdemeanors. However, the $950 million authorized for fiscal year 2010 was scrapped by Obama's budget. . . . .


Something from IBD:

One of the "ornaments" plucked from the budget tree is the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). In the current budget year it cost $400 million, making it one of the largest nondefense discretionary items. Its purpose is to help defray the cost for states of incarcerating convicts and pretrial detainees who are illegally in the U.S.
It is intended to cover the salaries of guards and correctional officers who hold illegal aliens who are apprehended and found to have at least one felony and two misdemeanor convictions already on their record.
The quarrel the Obama administration has with the program is that the money is used for other purposes.
"The evidence suggests that the funds are often used in a variety of ways that are tangential to the direct costs associated with imprisoning unauthorized immigrants," said Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag.
"That may be so," said Politico's Josh Gerson. "However, the cost of keeping illegal aliens in jail is clearly higher than what the federal government pays. California is getting $118 million through the program this year, but estimates it spends about $1 billion on jailing 'undocumented persons.' ". . . . .

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2 Comments:

Blogger juandos said...

Investors Business Daily also picked up on this bit...

Janet Napolitano's Jailhouse CrockIBD's commentary noted this: "That may be so," said Politico's Josh Gerson. "However, the cost of keeping illegal aliens in jail is clearly higher than what the federal government pays. California is getting $118 million through the program this year, but estimates it spends about $1 billion on jailing 'undocumented persons.' "

In what may look like role reversals, President Bush tried several times to kill the program, and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton supported it as senators. Before he was president, Obama co-sponsored an amendment by his future campaign rival that would have increased funds for the program.
IRONY?

5/12/2009 7:31 AM  
Blogger The Right Guy said...

I am sure those funds would be redirected back if private gun ownership went away.

5/12/2009 7:44 AM  

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