It's Good to See That Congress Has Its Spending Priorities in Order

Government budgets are a clear indication of where our priorities are. And so far it appears that securing the integrity of U.S. elections isn’t as high a priority for Congress as doing pointless stuff on the U.S.-Mexico border.

A source familiar with the omnibus spending bill soon to be passed by Congress told The Hill on Wednesday that the proposed budget includes $687 million in new funding to secure U.S. elections and combat Russian cyberattacks. (Democrats wanted $1 billion.)

The proposed budget reportedly also includes $641 million for new border fencing. Again, this $641 million is not for concrete border walls. It “would only be used for levees and fences,” according to The Hill.

CNBC reported that the bill includes funds for “about 33 miles of new border fencing.” It’s unclear where these 33 miles will be installed but if President Trump’s talking points are any indication, the new fence that we “desperately need” will probably be appearing along the Mexico-U.S. border.

The Hill also reported that the bill includes $1.296 billion in funding for new border technology.

So, to recap: that’s $687 million to protect the U.S. from cyberattacks and election meddling, and nearly $2 billion for a few miles of fence and some tech nonsense. Election integrity and Russian meddling is a real issue. Meanwhile, the number of illegal crossing arrests at the southern border have plunged to the lowest level since 1971, according to the Department of Homeland Security data. Nice to see our priorities are in order.