August 1, 2014 4:56 PM

Updated: Van de Putte asks for the LBB to weigh in on funding for National Guard

Lite Gov nominee wants the LBB to weigh in; Straus says the governor’s disaster funds would be appropriate to begin with

Following a Texas House committee hearing on the fiscal impacts of Gov. Perry’s decision to send as many as 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the border, a key Senate Democrat is asking exactly how all this is going to be paid for.

The added forces on the border are projected to cost Texas taxpayers $17 million a month. That money is, of course, not in the current budget. The leadership has yet to figure out what other programs may be cut to pay for this.

In addition to being her party’s nominee for Lt. Governor, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, is also the Chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations. In that role, Van de Putte said the vagueness of the source of funding for troops to be "extremely concerning.”

In a letter sent on Thursday to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus, Van de Putte said there is a "lack of clarity" when it comes to Perry’s plan for the troops under Operation Strong Safety.