It was supposed to be a public relations triumph.
As defender of the United States and the gatekeeper of our southern border, Rick Perry first demanded that the federal government send troops to southern Texas, and when that did not happen to his satisfaction, he deployed the National Guard to patrol there, even though they can’t make any arrests, and local law enforcement would have preferred the funds that would have bolstered them.
But Perry looked tough and decisive, and people like that in a governor.
But then there is this reality.
Members of the Texas National Guard had to go to a Rio Grande Valley food bank Thursday because, not having received a paycheck yet, about 50 soldiers are in need of food assistance.
Texas Army National Guard Brigadier General Patrick Hamilton told the San Antonio Express-News, “We identified 50 soldiers who came on at the very end of the first pay period who would see a three week lag in income”.
Rick Perry used executive power to tap $38 million in emergency funds to pay for his deployment of 1,000 Guard troops in July, and his spokesperson Rich Parsons explained, “Governor Perry is confident the Guard stands ready to assist any soldier who may need it, regardless of deployment or duty status so they can meet the needs of their family, or the mission they are performing”.
Perry’s opponent in the gubernatorial election, State Senator Wendy Davis, called it “disgraceful”.
“Whether you agree that we need the National Guard or the additional deputy sheriffs that I have previously called for to secure the border, it is shameful that our troops would be sent to keep us safe without basic supplies like food,” Davis said.
In response to the National Guard members who went to the food bank, Terri Drefke, executive director for the Food Bank of Rio Grande Valley told station KGBT, “For some reason (the troops) don’t have the funding in their pocket to buy food, and we obviously don’t want them to go hungry”.
Meanwhile, the fiercely independent state of Texas which sees the federal government as unnecessarily overreaching will be passing the cost of Operation Strong Safety on to the federal government for payment.
Perry looks tough though.