mr. chairman , i have two amendments which i will be sending to the desk , and i move to strike the last word and talk about the issue while they get the amendments up there . 
mr. chairman , last night i testified before the rules committee in support of two amendments i had hoped to offer to the supplemental appropriations bill being considered by the house today . 
the first of these amendments would add $ 772 million in funding for border security to hire an additional 1 , 000 border patrol agents , provide 8 , 000 beds for immigration and detention removal operations , and install radiation portal monitors at all ports of entry . 
as a member representing a district on the united states/mexico border , and as the only member of congress with a background in immigration and experience in actually defending our nation 's borders , i have firsthand knowledge of the kinds of resources that we need to keep america safe . 
since coming to congress , i have heard a lot about how we need to crack down on illegal immigration in this country , but have seen very little action when it comes to providing adequate funding for the programs that we know will work in dealing with this problem . 
most recently , with the passage of the intelligence reform bill , congress promised to provide funding to hire thousands of new border patrol agents and create thousands of beds for immigration detention and removal activities . 
unfortunately , the president proposed his fy 2006 budget and it falls woefully short of meeting these needs . 
and i fear that congress will once again fail to keep its commitment . 
meanwhile , every day foreign nationals from over 150 different countries who are here in the united states illegally are being apprehended and turned back on to our streets because we lack the space to detain them . 
at the same time , we hear of known terrorists who are training recruits to infiltrate our country in order to do us harm . 
the time has long since come to make good on our border security promises or to continue to risk the safety of the american people . 
the second of my amendments deals with funding for veterans health care . 
specifically , it would provide an additional 1.3 billion for veterans health care programs for fiscal year 2005 . 
this increase is required in order to maintain existing service levels within the va health care system and would bring spending in line with the recommendations of the bipartisan leadership of the committee on veterans ' affairs . 
the va is the largest health care network in the united states , and it is increasingly overburdened by a large military retiree population , principally of world war ii and korean veterans . 
that burden will only increase with new veterans returning from iraq and afghanistan . 
america 's veterans have made great sacrifices for us . 
now it is time that we keep our promise to them to ensure that they get the health care they need and that they deserve . 
the only way to do this is to give the va the resources they require to get the job done . 
mr. chairman , i offer these two amendments because i truly believe that funding these two priorities is a matter of urgent need for the good of our nation , and i ask for my colleagues ' support . 
