Yellen urged to investigate Abbott’s use of coronavirus relief monies for border security
EDINBURG, Texas – Members of the Texas congressional delegation have urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to investigate Texas Governor Greg Abbott to see if he misappropriated federal coronavirus relief monies to fund Operation Lone Star.
The urging came in the form of a letter. Among those signing the letter were U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso.
Operation Lone Star is a state-led border operation launched by Governor Abbott in March 2021. Since the operation began, the members of Congress point out, it has been criticized for high costs, delayed paychecks for deployed National Guard members, troop fatalities and suicides, and a lack of clear accomplishments.
The members of Congress, all Democrats, highlight the fact that in April 2022, Abbott launched a series of duplicative border inspections that led to significant transit delays at the U.S.-Mexico border, costing the U.S. approximately $9 billion in lost gross domestic product.
Later that same month, the members of Congress explain, Abbott committed to providing another $500 million to fund Operation Lone Star. He did this because the operation was slated to run out of money by the end of 2022. The funding to bolster Operation Lone Star will come from various Texas agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Criminal Justice, and the Juvenile Justice Department. These agencies received billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds.
In their letter, the members of Congress express concern that Governor Abbott may be allocating funds intended for coronavirus relief to fund Operation Lone Star.
Along with Castro and Escobar, the members of Congress that signed on to the letter to Yellen were Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Colin Allred of Dallas, Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, Al Green of Houston, Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, Sylvia Garcia of Houston, and Lizzie Fletcher of Houston.