Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is criticizing the Bush administration for holding back some funds earmarked for border fencing.

“I view this as a unilateral action on the part of the White House to slow progress in deploying security measures on our southern border,” said Byrd in a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle, which was made public Tuesday. “It is imperative that all of the border security funding approved on a bipartisan basis by Congress be made available immediately, not be deferred until ‘future years.’ ”

The senator asked Nussle to detail to Congress next month how the White House intends to spend all of the appropriated funds this year.

“Our actions will not in any way slow down or delay DHS' efforts to build fencing and install technology on the borders,” said OMB spokeswoman Christin Baker. “The apportionment that Senator Byrd complains about is a means to ensure oversight and good fiscal management of the project.”

Baker noted that the Department of Homeland Security “has more border funds in the pipeline than it can spend this year -- in fact, $700 million was carried over from FY 2007 into the current year.”

She added that OMB is able to provide additional funding if need and added that, “incidentally, the Appropriations Committee is withholding $650 million from the fence until they approve an expenditure plan.”