GOP senator: There will never be full U.S.-Mexico border wall
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) cast doubt Monday that Congress would ever fund a full wall along the U.S.-Mexico border but said both parties support border security.
“Border wall and fences are part of an overall plan. There will never be a 2,200-mile wall built, period,” Graham told reporters.
Asked about including a border wall in a must-pass spending bill to keep the government running past this week, Graham said, “I support additional border security and Democrats, I think, a lot of them do also.”
The administration is stepping up its demand that some money for the border wall be included in a government funding bill despite Democratic opposition to including the provision. A supplemental request sent to Congress earlier this year requested roughly $1.5 billion for the effort.
Graham said on Monday that Trump is “probably well aware” that the United States won’t build a physical wall along the entire southern border.
“But he’s right to insist on more border security. So if he wants a 2,200-mile wall, I don’t think you’re ever going to get appropriations for that,” he told reporters.
{mosads}Lawmakers have until Friday night to pass the funding legislation and avoid a government shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered no news about negotiations during a floor speech on Monday, but said legislators hoped to wrap up talks “very soon.”
Democrats are warning that the White House’s demand to include money for the border wall — which they view as a “poison pill” provision — is increasing the risk of a government shutdown.
“Parties were negotiating quite well … until Donald Trump and the White House threw a monkey wrench into this, with the wall,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters during a conference call.
“It’s my view that if the president stepped out of it, we could get a budget done by Friday,” he added.
Republicans will need at least eight Democratic votes to get the spending bill through the Senate. They could also need help from Democrats in the House, if conservatives refuse to support the package.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appeared open to additional money for border security technology as long as it is separate from the border wall that she opposes.
“If we have needs for this technology or the rest to help protect our border, let’s see what that is,” she said during the call with Schumer.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of GOP leadership, predicted that both the White House and Democrats would get something they want out of the negotiations.
“There’s always that moment in these negotiations where almost everything is settled and the last most difficult items come down to the White House and probably the two minority leaders,” he told reporters on Monday evening, referring to Schumer and Pelosi.
He added that “all sides need to understand that for this to work they’ve got to be talking to each other.”
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