Trump's funding request for U.S. borderwall hits snag among some Republicans

[webfact]

Trump's funding request for U.S. borderwall hits snag among some Republicans

REUTERS

 

A worker stands next to a newly built section of the U.S.-Mexico border fence at Sunland Park, U.S. opposite the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 25, 2017. Picture taken from the Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexicoborder. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's call for $1.5 billion (1.21 billion pounds) this year to help build a wall along the border with Mexico could be in jeopardy as fellow Republicans in Congress weigh delaying a decision on the request.

 

Republican Senator Roy Blunt, a member of his party's leadership, told reporters on Tuesday that money for the wall likely would not be coupled with a spending bill that must pass by April 28 to avoid shutting down federal agencies whose funding expires then.

 

Blunt said the must-do funding "comes together better" without Trump's additional request for the border wall and military programs and could be considered "at a later time."

 

Democrats are threatening to block the bill funding federal agencies from April 29 to Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year, if money for the border wall is included.

 

They object to one of Trump's premier 2016 campaign promises, saying it is poorly planned and that there are other border security measures already constructed or under consideration.

 

When he ran for president, Trump pledged Mexico would pay to build the wall, designed to keep illegal immigrants and drugs from entering the United States. The Mexican government has said it will not do so.

 

The initiative has also faced resistance among Republicans, including lawmakers representing some border towns. The federal government would have to purchase land in many locations in order to construct the edifice, which could make construction costs soar.

 

Reuters reported the wall could end up costing as much as $21.6 billion, far more than the $12 billion Trump cited.

 

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart also expressed scepticism about Congress' ability to approve funds for the wall, given the super-majority vote needed in the Senate for most major legislation.

 

Asked about the wall, Diaz-Balart, a senior member of the House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee and a leading voice on immigration policy, said: "I'm always willing to look at other things we can do to try to get that 60-vote threshold" on border and interior security.

 

Lawmakers said progress was being made on legislation to keep the government running beyond April 28.

 

House Speaker Paul Ryan removed another potential land mine on Tuesday when he said a Republican drive to end federal funding for women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood would be best accomplished on legislation other than the upcoming funding bill.

 

Democrats have vowed to stop the must-do money bill if it ended Planned Parenthood's federal funds.

 

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-30

[sirineou]

So much in this article , I dont know where to start.

 I am just so "tired from winning" I think I will take a rest.

[darksidedog]

I am starting to wonder if this administration is actually going to be able to pass ANY legislation whatsoever.

Pretty much everything they have tried so far has fallen flat on its face.

[thailand49]

Sorry, although I didn't vote for him but he is my President.  I would vote no too, he promised Mexico will pay more than a dozen times so he's got to own up to it. The picture shown I would second thing about the design being used,  from what I've seen on the boarder this isn't going to slow them down much.

[craigt3365]

The democrats are against this, republicans are divided.  Never going to get passed.  More wasted time and money. 

 

Time to start focusing on things that are important.  And can actually get accomplished.

 

Crazy times.

[ardsong]

Fake News is the opposite of Good News.

 

America is very quickly degrading to the opposite of GREAT America.

[boomerangutang]

        $1.5 billion is less than 1/20th the real cost of the wall (including support infrastructure & maint.).  It won't work - even some Republicans can see that.   At best, it will be a tourist attraction (like the Great Wall of China, which also doesn't work).  Trump's kids can set up kiosks near the wall, and take entrance fees to the premises. There will also be an opp for tourists to get selfies, while standing on the US side of the wall (actually, a see-thu fence) with a Mexican on the other side (wearing a sombrero) with a frown on his face.  Please tip the Mexican, gracias.  Oh, and don't forget to buy the obligatory t-shirt, ....hecho en Mexico, naturally.

[boomerangutang]

                   The wall symbolizes widespread fear among Trump voters.   Fear of many things.   Fear of losing jobs, fear of Mexicans, fear of a Muslim fanatic killing their families, etc, ad nauseum.   When Gingrich addressed the Republican convention last summer, he shouted, "YOU MUST FEAR THAT WOMAN.....!"    Fear fear fear - that's Republicans' basic instinct.  Trump feeding their fears garnered a lot of votes.  It worked so well, that we can expect creating fear to be a foundation of upcoming Republican campaigns.

 

                  It's also fear (among other things) that drives most Trump fans to buy so many guns.  Fear of the unknown, and paranoia.  

 

 

[boomerangutang]

              Since the wall will run along the border, will Mexican contractors be hired for some of the work?  That will bring up several sticky issues.  Trump shouts about not hiring foreigners (yet we all know, he and Ivanka get most of their products made overseas). If Mexicans are invited to bid, it will be a quagmire for them.  Do they contribute to the construction - to make money?   .....or do they boycott for moral reasons?

 

               Probably the weirdest of all Trump's assertions;  "Mexico will pay for it" .....will be even more ridiculous, if Mexicans are forced to pay (by garnishing wages from Mexican workers in the  US) ...for paying only US contractors.   P.S. Mexican contractors could do the work for half the cost of American contractors.    .....only 17 billion $$'s, instead of 34.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

The democrats are against this, republicans are divided.  Never going to get passed.  More wasted time and money. 

 

Time to start focusing on things that are important.  And can actually get accomplished.

 

Crazy times.

trump seems determined to push it at least. If he fails (which he will), he can blame everyone else. He actually seems to think he's going to make it four years and get reelected! The scary part is that he might.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Jingthing

[Thaidream]

More nonsense from an incompetent administration- this border wall will cost over $20 Billion and will not stop illegal Immigration. Trump and his minions refuse to put together a real Immigration law that gives status to the 11 million illegals already in the US and provides a worker visa that brings people in to America legally. If he would do this, most of the illegal entry would cease.

It is ironic that Americans still have a failing healthcare program in which Trump wanted to replace with one that took from the poor and gave to the rich.

I , in all the years I have been voting , have never seen a more incompetent President backed by aides who know little and supported by an electorate that still believes in the Easter Bunny.

[spidermike007]

His projections are a complete fabrication. More alternative news, from the deflector in chief. You have to understand he has no conscience, so lying is in his nature, and is his first impulse.The real costs:

 

If you assumed the same labor costs as what went into putting up the border fences between 2006 and 2009, and added that to the expense of the concrete and steel, the total cost of a wall might be $15 billion. But the labor for such a project would be much more expensive, especially since the parts of the border that are still open are more rugged. Just have a look at the Rio Grande Valley. Nearly impossible terrain to build a wall. Consider Israel’s experience. It has built 320 miles of a planned 480-mile barrier in and around the West Bank. Only three to 10 percent of the completed portion is concrete. The cost so far: $2.6 billion, more than twice as much per mile as the fences along the U.S.-Mexico border, even though labor in Israel is slightly cheaper. That fits with what structural engineers have told me: the total cost of highways and other megascale projects in the U.S. is generally two to three times the material costs. That makes a 1,000-mile wall pencil out at $27 billion to $40 billion.

 

And this does not include the cost of buying land. You know the government will pay alot for the land, with the landowners knowing the situation. 

 

This is from an MIT study on the costs:

 

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602494/bad-math-props-up-trumps-border-wall/

 

 

[tigermoth]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I am starting to wonder if this administration is actually going to be able to pass ANY legislation whatsoever.

Pretty much everything they have tried so far has fallen flat on its face.

Not surprising. It has been ill considered. Obama care, The Rep want to scap it the Dems to keep it, The obvious path to take is keep it and work on improving it. The tax bill, seen by many as a way for the rich to grow richer. The Mexican border wall, completely wrong in its costing and of course they can't force Mexico to pay, except maybe for using illegal tactics. Trump is a phsycotic even ignoring all the experts and proven evidence such as global warming. He keeps trying to justify his actions with blatent lies and abuse.

[smotherb]

You mean you didn't know Trump is the originator of the fake news and alternate facts? It seems everything he promised is being defeated, modified or swept under the rug. Do the Trumpeters still support this buffoon?

 

The real problem is; who else do we have? Certainly not Hillary, what about Bernie? It seems a poor state of affairs when so few reputable persons would be president. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I am starting to wonder if this administration is actually going to be able to pass ANY legislation whatsoever.

Pretty much everything they have tried so far has fallen flat on its face.

is a failing of democracy where the opposition stops everything. thats why i prefer an army dictatorship style of government where they can do what ever they want.

[cruisemonkey]

Why is he asking Congress when Mexico's paying for it?

[rijb]

1 hour ago, boomerangutang said:

                   The wall symbolizes widespread fear among Trump voters.   Fear of many things.   Fear of losing jobs, fear of Mexicans, fear of a Muslim fanatic killing their families, etc, ad nauseum.   When Gingrich addressed the Republican convention last summer, he shouted, "YOU MUST FEAR THAT WOMAN.....!"    Fear fear fear - that's Republicans' basic instinct.  Trump feeding their fears garnered a lot of votes.  It worked so well, that we can expect creating fear to be a foundation of upcoming Republican campaigns.

 

                  It's also fear (among other things) that drives most Trump fans to buy so many guns.  Fear of the unknown, and paranoia.  

 

 

It's fear.  But, not by Trump fans.

 

Gun sales have dropped since Trump’s election, except among people scared of his administration

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-sales-have-dropped-since-trumps-election-except-among-people-scared-of-his-administration/2017/03/05/03f5b522-ff6a-11e6-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html?utm_term=.001bbc0066ed

[Thaidream]

Bernie Sanders is more than qualified to become President and he has great ideas on how to solve America's problems such as

1.  Instead of wasting billions on a useless border wall Bernie would endorse a real Immigration bill that would provide steps for legalization of the 11 million illegals in the US and also provide a workers Visa to allow foreign labor into the US. Do this and there is a low incidence of illegals crossing any longer

2.  Bernie would propose a single payer solution to healthcare- everyone is covered by Medicare. It eliminates greedy insurance  companies and forces Big Pharma to lower their prices or the US buys from abroad.

3.  Bernie would negotiate new foreign trade deals that are more fair to America and place tariffs or excise taxes on goods that do not fall under agreements. actually, he and Trump have similar plans.

4.  Bernie would cut the over bloated US defense budget and use the savings to fund a large infrastructure project to rebuild America creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

5.  Bernie would completely change the way election campaigns are funded getting money out of the campaign process so other candidates may have a chance to run for office other than the rich.

6.  Bernie would provide college students with free tuition rather than make them repay the US treasury for expensive loans provided through the corrupt and greedy American Banking industry.

7.  Bernie would put through real tax reform going after the wealthy so they pay their fair share and reform the outdated tax system which is so complex the average person has no understanding of it.

These are the things that will make America great again not the smoke and mirrors crap that Trump and his incompetent administration are trying to sell. Unfortunately, Bernie Sanders is not President so none of the things he espouses are going to happen.

 

[rijb]

12 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Bernie Sanders is more than qualified to become President

Good stuff.  But, could he get Congress on board?  Trump has a stacked deck and he still can't get it done.

[Thaidream]

Sanders would need a Democrat Congress to get it through but he could always rally his support and as he once said- I can get 3 million people to descend on Washington DC and then let's see the Congress say no.

Sanders is the only Presidential candidate I have heard come up with real proposed solutions to actually improve people's lives.

[mike324]

35 minutes ago, rijb said:

It's fear.  But, not by Trump fans.

 

Gun sales have dropped since Trump’s election, except among people scared of his administration

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-sales-have-dropped-since-trumps-election-except-among-people-scared-of-his-administration/2017/03/05/03f5b522-ff6a-11e6-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html?utm_term=.001bbc0066ed

To be fair, people are not scared of his administration that is why they bought guns.

 

 " an uptick in interest in firearms since November among those who fear that racial and gender-based violence could increase during Donald Trump’s presidency."

 

People are afraid of their safety due to the rhetoric that Trump as been spewing. Where as Trump supporters was buying guns because they were afraid the government was going to take guns away from them, which was totally false yet they can't get over it. Under Obama he was tightening the loopholes that still existed with purchasing firearms with no background checks.

[craigt3365]

57 minutes ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

is a failing of democracy where the opposition stops everything. thats why i prefer an army dictatorship style of government where they can do what ever they want.

Name one army dictatorship that's doing well?  And one that provides proper support for their people.  Just one.  No matter what, I can guarantee you wouldn't want to live there.

[williamgeorgeallen]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Name one army dictatorship that's doing well?  And one that provides proper support for their people.  Just one.  No matter what, I can guarantee you wouldn't want to live there.

just having a bit of a laugh with a comparison on how things are in thailand. there may still be some juanta supporters on the forum some where out there.

[craigt3365]

Just now, williamgeorgeallen said:

just having a bit of a laugh with a comparison on how things are in thailand. there may still be some juanta supporters on the forum some where out there.

Hopefully, this is just a bump on the road back to democracy.  At least Thailand's version of it. LOL

 

But we're off topic.

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, rijb said:

It's fear.  But, not by Trump fans.

 

Gun sales have dropped since Trump’s election, except among people scared of his administration

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-sales-have-dropped-since-trumps-election-except-among-people-scared-of-his-administration/2017/03/05/03f5b522-ff6a-11e6-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html?utm_term=.001bbc0066ed

WE are overdue another school massacre, they normally occur around the time increases in gun sales are required.

 

 

57 minutes ago, rijb said:

Good stuff.  But, could he get Congress on board?  Trump has a stacked deck and he still can't get it done.

Trump may have a stacked deck, the problem is his own personal deck in his brain is in such disarray it could never be stacked.

[Tracyb]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I am starting to wonder if this administration is actually going to be able to pass ANY legislation whatsoever.

Pretty much everything they have tried so far has fallen flat on its face.

Well, Americans voted for a clown so they should expect a circus!

 

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Tracyb said:

Well, Americans voted for a clown so they should expect a circus!

 

A majority did not vote for Trump.

[Jingthing]

9 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

A majority did not vote for Trump.

Yep, and we ain't gonna let trumpists ever forget that! 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Jingthing

[boomerangutang]

8 hours ago, rijb said:

It's fear.  But, not by Trump fans.

Gun sales have dropped since Trump’s election, except among people scared of his administration

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gun-sales-have-dropped-since-trumps-election-except-among-people-scared-of-his-administration/2017/03/05/03f5b522-ff6a-11e6-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html?utm_term=.001bbc0066ed

                     Gun sales show an uptick every time there's gun violence in the US.  Wait for it. It's always just around the corner.  Next time there's a shoot-up, gun sales will go up.  Plus Trump is great for gun sales.  He shouted at a rally (in a rant about HRC); "maybe the 2nd Amenders can take care of her."  ....hinting that one or more of his many gun-hugging fans could shoot and kill her.

 

 

[Dumbastheycome]

11 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

        $1.5 billion is less than 1/20th the real cost of the wall (including support infrastructure & maint.).  It won't work - even some Republicans can see that.   At best, it will be a tourist attraction (like the Great Wall of China, which also doesn't work).  Trump's kids can set up kiosks near the wall, and take entrance fees to the premises. There will also be an opp for tourists to get selfies, while standing on the US side of the wall (actually, a see-thu fence) with a Mexican on the other side (wearing a sombrero) with a frown on his face.  Please tip the Mexican, gracias.  Oh, and don't forget to buy the obligatory t-shirt, ....hecho en Mexico, naturally.

lol