President Bush has officially asked Congress to fund his $1.9 billion border security initiative. The $1.9 billion in border security expenses is to be inserted into the supplemental spending bill currently making its way to conference. Incidentally, $1.9 billion is about the same amount of a border security provision that Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) authored. In fact, even the offsetting funds in both Bush's and Gregg's plans would come from the same line item. Perfect - same amounts, same offsets - so, what's the problem? Gregg's provision would provide only infrastructure improvements to the border, like watchtowers and fences. The president's plan, however, emphasizes border patrol program related activities by allocating over $750 million for a National Guard deployment, $330 million to hire 1,000 additional border patrol agents, and $340 million for border patrol activities. Also included in the president’s request is $500 million for some infrastructure improvements and surveillance equipment. Hoping to have the supplemental passed by Memorial Day, Bush sent his Chief of Staff, Josh Bolton, to the Hill in an effort un-ruffle some feathers. However, it is not certain that Bolton was successful in his bid to move the bill closer to a vote.