On Thursday, General John Kelly, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, before the Senate Armed Services Committee warned of the serious threats that budget sequestration poses to the security of the U.S.-Mexico southern border.
“During a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee today, General John Kelly, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, issued a stark warning about the threat that budget sequestration poses to security along our southern border,” said Senator John McCain in a statement released on Thursday. “In his testimony, General Kelly warned that the potential threat of terrorists crossing our southern border is ‘extremely serious’ and called the budget cuts under sequestration ‘a catastrophe’ which could ‘effectively put me out of business.’ The top commander in the southern region went on state that a continuation of sequestration budget levels would not only pose a ‘severe risk,’ but could also mean ‘defeat’ for our men and women stationed in the southern region.”
“The United States faces a complex and challenging array of threats around the world, but none more immediate to Arizona than the security of our southern border. I hope my colleagues in Congress will take these warnings seriously as we continue to debate the FY 2016 Budget Resolution.”
For years, McCain ignored constituents’ concern about the border. During his last election cycle, McCain called for the federal government to “build the danged fence.” That demand was dropped by McCain once he won re-election. Now that he will likely face an opponent, or two, in the Republican primary, McCain is once again acting concerned about border security.