A National Guard official said Tuesday that the Guard would need additional funding to send more troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Major General Peter Aylward said the Guard currently is analyzing the needs on the border, but any response will require additional funding. Aylward is the director of the Joint Staff of the National Guard Bureau.
He testifed before a House Homeland Security subcommittee Tuesday morning.
Outside the hearing, Aylward said $43 million would be needed through the end of the year. He says 1,500 troops are available in an existing Guard counterdrug program.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has asked the federal government to send 1,000 troops to the border to contain drug-related violence occurring across the border.
