Republican lawmakers want the Interior Department to stop charging the Border Patrol millions of under-the-radar dollars meant to cover environmental damage stemming from their everyday duties along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Department of Homeland Security, as a result of a deal signed last year, must pay Interior up to $50 million for environmental "mitigation" needed in the wake of the construction of a border fence, according to Fox News.
This is on top of millions more spent or committed to Interior for expected environmental damage caused by the Border Patrol over the years.
Though both the departments of Homeland Security and Interior say the money goes toward preserving and restoring sensitive habitats, Republicans say the arrangement doesn't make sense.
The Border Patrol needs that money to address the weighty task of securing the border, they say, arguing that agents are actually helping conserve the environment by keeping out smugglers and immigration violators who have no regard for America's natural resources.
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