WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced legislation to reimburse the State of Texas for the more than $11 billion dollars Texas taxpayers spent on Operation Lone Star, Texas’ border security mission launched due to President Biden’s dereliction of duty. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is a cosponsor of the legislation in the Senate, and Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21) will be a leader for this measure in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“For four years, Governor Abbott and Texas taxpayers were forced to bear the brunt of the Biden-Harris border crisis. Today, I am proud to introduce my legislation to reimburse Texas for its historic efforts to secure the southern border. My bill will ensure the Lone Star State is repaid for stepping up to protect and defend our nation’s southern border while the Biden-Harris administration abdicated its federal duty,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Thanks to the strong leadership of President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, Border Czar Tom Homan, and Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, our country is finally back to enforcing the immigration laws that have been on the books for years, and I will continue to work with the Trump administration to ensure Texas never again has to endure an open-border disaster like we saw under Joe Biden.”

“Texas was on the frontlines of the Biden administration’s open border crisis, and Texans were on their own dealing with the consequences,” said Sen. Cruz. “I am proud to stand with Governor Abbott and Senator Cornyn to ensure the Lone Star State is reimbursed, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill expeditiously.”

“For four years, Texans stood in the breach of the worst border crisis in recent American history. Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty led to an invasion of lawlessness, crime, danger, and drugs, putting Texans, and every American in harms way,” said Rep. Roy. “The states like Texas that stood on the front lines to defend our nation when the federal government would not, deserve to be reimbursed by the very federal government that should have done its job in the first place.  It’s critical states like Texas have these resources to ensure adequate law enforcement funding to partner with the Trump administration to secure our border.”

Background:

The State Border Security Assistance Act would:

• Create funds at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to reimburse states for actions they took after January 20, 2021, to secure the border;
• Reimburse costs of activities such as construction of border wall, surveillance of the border, and apprehension, detention, and prosecution of individuals who illegally entered the United States;
• Appropriate enough money to the funds to ensure that Texas is fully reimbursed;
• And sunset the funds after the end of the Trump Administration and return any remaining money to the Treasury for debt-reduction purposes.

Senator Cornyn has led the fight in Washington to secure federal reimbursement for Texas by:

• Swiftly backing Governor Abbott’s request for Texas to be reimbursed for the taxpayer dollars spent on Operation Lone Star;
• Calling attention to the ongoing reimbursement effort on the Senate floor;
• Meeting with Governor Abbott and members of the Texas congressional delegation to discuss the legislative strategy for the reimbursement push;

And holding ongoing meetings and phone calls with Governor Abbott, Senate and House leadership, and congressional colleagues regarding the effort.