Trump administration may not hit 2020 border wall goal, official says

By Ted Hesson

 

FILE PHOTO: Construction site of the first border wall in Texas since President Trump took office as seen near Donna, Texas, U.S. December 8, 2019. REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration may fall short of its promise to build 450 miles of wall along the U.S. border with Mexico by the end of next year, a top official said on Tuesday.

 

Trump made the construction of a border wall a centerpiece of his 2016 election campaign, and has continued to focus on building a wall as he seeks re-election next year.

 

"Our goal at the end of 2020 was 450 miles," Mark Morgan, acting commission for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told reporters. "It's hard right now to be able to say whether we're still going to be able to meet that goal, but I'm confident that we're going to be close."

 

Morgan said that 93 miles of wall had been built so far during the Trump administration. At least 90 miles of that replaced existing structures, according to CBP figures - although Morgan argued during the briefing that all barriers built under Trump should be considered "new."

 

A U.S. federal court order handed down last week that blocks the administration from transferring $3.6 billion (£2.81 billion) in military construction funds to build a border wall could negatively affect the timeline if the ruling is not quickly lifted by an appeals court, Morgan said.

 

Trump administration officials have said for months that they aim to build 450 miles of new and replacement wall by November 2020, when the presidential election will be held.

 

Trump himself has been less exact. He said in April he expected his administration would build "close to 400 miles" of wall within a roughly two-year timeframe. But during a September news conference at the border in San Diego, he said the anticipation was that nearly 500 miles would completed by the end of 2020.

 

The $3.6 billion in military construction funds that have been blocked for use for a border wall represent roughly a third of the approximately $10 billion that the Trump administration has obtained for wall construction.

 

A spending package passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday would maintain funding for border barriers at $1.37 billion, which Morgan indicated would be used for wall construction.

 

The Senate is expected to take up the spending package before current funding expires at the end of the week.

 

(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-18

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Well, ok. Then return the money allocated for schools within military bases to be used for................schools.

How about more immigration judges to clear the backlog and the fakers and stop making us look like a bunch of a holes cheeper than a wall and better to

"And Mexico will pay for it".

This is one of the many Trump lies or shoot-from-the-hip comments that the voters will remember on November 8.

 

The world is full of surprises!

54 minutes ago, sniggie said:

The world is full of surprises!

Yes not one promise in 2016 completed by 2020.

3 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Yes not one promise in 2016 completed by 2020.

Record job numbers just this week

Giant trade deals

Help for working families

Unemployment falling

Earnings rising

criminal justice reforms

the Heartland revived

Energy independence

Illegal immigration coming down

the Wall going up

China confronted and dealt with

Isis caliphate defeated

NAFTA renegotiated

US military rebuilt

NATO funding up by allies

Conservative judges appointed

campus free speech defended

drug prices down

training places for 14 million

child tax credits for 40 million

tax cuts for 100 million

a booming economy for everyone

 

 No wonder you guys are doing a coup!!

 

6 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Record job numbers just this week

Giant trade deals

Help for working families

Unemployment falling

Earnings rising

criminal justice reforms

the Heartland revived

Energy independence

Illegal immigration coming down

the Wall going up

China confronted and dealt with

Isis caliphate defeated

NAFTA renegotiated

US military rebuilt

NATO funding up by allies

Conservative judges appointed

campus free speech defended

drug prices down

training places for 14 million

child tax credits for 40 million

tax cuts for 100 million

a booming economy for everyone

 

 No wonder you guys are doing a coup!!

 

Right bang in the middle of your nonsense ‘the wall going up’.

 

Did you read the OP?

 

Stuff that Trump claims to have achieved sits right Bang in the middle of his 13,000 lies since taking office.

35 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Record job numbers just this week

Giant trade deals

Help for working families

Unemployment falling

Earnings rising

criminal justice reforms

the Heartland revived

Energy independence

Illegal immigration coming down

the Wall going up

China confronted and dealt with

Isis caliphate defeated

NAFTA renegotiated

US military rebuilt

NATO funding up by allies

Conservative judges appointed

campus free speech defended

drug prices down

training places for 14 million

child tax credits for 40 million

tax cuts for 100 million

a booming economy for everyone

 

 No wonder you guys are doing a coup!!

 

Mexico paying for it? How about Hillary being locked up? 

So the wall is going up at a speed of about one mile a year. 

26 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

So the wall is going up at a speed of about one mile a year. 

trump will be long gone by the next mile

Let us not forget his promise healthcare for all and cheaper than Obama care

Promises made. 

 

Promises swept under the rug. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Morgan said that 93 miles of wall had been built so far during the Trump administration. At least 90 miles of that replaced existing structures, according to CBP figures - although Morgan argued during the briefing that all barriers built under Trump should be considered "new."

Wow, even for a trump puppet that is a fairly pathetic attempt at denying reality. 
 

maga

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Record job numbers just this week

Giant trade deals

Help for working families

Unemployment falling

Earnings rising

criminal justice reforms

the Heartland revived

Energy independence

Illegal immigration coming down

the Wall going up

China confronted and dealt with

Isis caliphate defeated

NAFTA renegotiated

US military rebuilt

NATO funding up by allies

Conservative judges appointed

campus free speech defended

drug prices down

training places for 14 million

child tax credits for 40 million

tax cuts for 100 million

a booming economy for everyone

 

 No wonder you guys are doing a coup!!

 

What a load of bs lol lousy low pay jobs with little or no bennies.what trade deals?700,000 losing food assistance little changed on energy on trumps watch except stripping of environmental safe guards stagnant wages very little change China making Donald a laughingstock isis down but not out our allies who bleed the most betrayed by Donald nafta not ratified the military was re supplied like always And who are we at war with to make such a large military nessary?nato weakened by trumps incompetence russan federation stonger because of trump more draconian judges meanwhile trump continues to break the law hate speech is now ok.  Tell that drug price to a I’ll person tax cut for the rich not the working folks and how’s that deficit doing during good economic times?naaaa not as rosy as you betray 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Promises made. 

 

Promises swept under the rug. 

He’ll just tell his supporters that it’s built. And they’ll believe him. 

2 minutes ago, samran said:

He’ll just tell his supporters that it’s built. And they’ll believe him. 

That's absolutely the truth. That's what we're fighting now. Alternative reality. 

2 hours ago, Tug said:

What a load of bs lol lousy low pay jobs with little or no bennies.what trade deals?700,000 losing food assistance little changed on energy on trumps watch except stripping of environmental safe guards stagnant wages very little change China making Donald a laughingstock isis down but not out our allies who bleed the most betrayed by Donald nafta not ratified the military was re supplied like always And who are we at war with to make such a large military nessary?nato weakened by trumps incompetence russan federation stonger because of trump more draconian judges meanwhile trump continues to break the law hate speech is now ok.  Tell that drug price to a I’ll person tax cut for the rich not the working folks and how’s that deficit doing during good economic times?naaaa not as rosy as you betray 

I think your message would be clearer if you used a comma now and then.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Morgan said that 93 miles of wall had been built so far during the Trump administration. At least 90 miles of that replaced existing structures, according to CBP figures - although Morgan argued during the briefing that all barriers built under Trump should be considered "new."

Typical trump.... taking credit for the work of others whilst lying to the people’s.... just like Obama’s economic recovery or Nancy having to rewrite its terrible and unworkable new nafta... the trump is a joke... a bad one at that... but the world is still laughing at y’all.

 

impeach and remove it, such that civilized people’s can once again laugh with you... it’s the only way to MAGA!