Playing politics with border security
HOUSTON – Dan Patrick, Texas State Senator and authentic conservative candidate for Lieutenant Governor, revealed today that David Dewhurst has been living a fantasy, and the facts expose the Dewhurst campaign’s narrative of deceit on border security as a fraud.
Dan Patrick has focused throughout the campaign on border security, assuring voters that it will be a priority. Patrick has repeatedly pointed out that Dewhurst has failed to show real leadership on the issue, and has not passed a budget that gives state law enforcement officials adequate resources.
“David Dewhurst is playing politics with border security,” Dan Patrick said. “I have said, for a year now, that Dewhurst’s budget actually cut funding for border security. He’s had 12 years in office to address this important public policy issue. Now, lagging in the polls and desperate to connect with voters, Dewhurst concocts the idea of a surge strategy for border security. Simply put, it’s too little, too late.
“In a May 2, 2014 letter to the Department of Public Safety, Dewhurst asks them to shift resources from other important public safety programs to pay for what he failed to prioritize in his budget.
“On the campaign trail, he promises a surge. The truth is, it hasn’t been paid for, and it’s probably not going to happen.
“The Texas Department of Public Safety, and the thousands of dedicated men and women who put themselves in harm’s way each day to protect the public, ultimately functions at the direction of the Texas Legislature. They can only do what the Legislature funds.
“As Lieutenant Governor, I will meet with DPS Director McCraw, determine the need of the department to have a permanent presence on the border, and ensure that funds, over and above the other critical missions that the DPS performs, are appropriated to make that happen.
“Dewhurst has had an election year conversion on this issue. He has inherited his own problems, and is desperately seeking a solution.”
Twelve years is long enough. It’s time for a change. The voters are looking for authentic conservative leadership. Dan Patrick is that candidate.
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