Texas Military Department says it needs $460 million more to keep border mission afloat this year

Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety officers position themselves on the banks of the Rio Grande in El Paso on Dec. 20. (Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune)

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The Texas Military Department’s chief told Senate budget writers Thursday it will cost $459.3 million to keep thousands of active-duty troops on Gov. Greg Abbott’s highly touted border security mission through the end of August, while also acknowledging that the agency is reducing the number of troops on the mission.