# Plain Language Summary: Lone Star Reimbursement Act

This bill would pay Texas $1.4 billion to cover the costs of Operation Lone Star, a state-led military operation focused on border security along the Texas-Mexico border. Essentially, the federal government would reimburse Texas for money the state spent running this operation during 2021 and 2022. The bill treats border security as a national defense issue and argues that Texas should be compensated by the federal government for taking on this responsibility.

According to the bill, Operation Lone Star involved Texas military personnel apprehending and referring over 134,000 migrants to law enforcement, turning back approximately 16,700 migrants, and responding to nearly 49,000 attempted border crossings. The bill's supporters argue this operation has been effective at controlling illegal immigration and that the state deserves reimbursement for the expenses involved in deploying troops and resources to the border.

The practical effect would be straightforward: if passed, $1.4 billion in federal defense funding would be redirected to Texas as a one-time reimbursement. This money would come from the Department of Defense budget rather than creating new spending. For Texas, this would essentially recover costs the state already spent. For other states and federal priorities, this represents money that won't be available for other defense or federal programs. The bill doesn't create any new programs or ongoing commitments—it's simply a payment for work Texas says it already completed.

Lone Star Reimbursement Act

Fallon, Pat

Lone Star Reimbursement Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to provide approximately $1.43 billion to the state of Texas as reimbursement for the costs of Operation Lone Star incurred in FY2021 and FY2022. (Operation Lone Star is a border security operation initiated and carried out by the state of Texas.)