Ted Poe: “The troops in Iraq will be home by Christmas. Also coming back to America is a large amount of military equipment. Why…”

“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. ____________________”