Yesterday we ran a story on how Trump told GOP senators that he didn’t expect a physical 2,200 mile wall to be part of the DACA package as part of his plans to secure the border. But, he did say he expects there to be a border wall, assumingly where one is needed.
Now CBS News Trump is reporting that Trump has sent over this official request for the funding of this border wall:
President Trump is asking Congress to approve $18 billion in funding to finance his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, CBS News confirmed Friday.
The request, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed to CBS by a White House official, would cover construction of the wall over a decade. The official said that it’s a potential ask for lawmakers as they craft border enforcement measures and will be discussed at a Camp David retreat this weekend attended by Mr. Trump, GOP congressional leaders and members of the Cabinet.
An administration official said that the document from the Department of Homeland Security that features the $18 billion request only covers one aspect of Mr. Trump’s immigration priorities and was delivered to Capitol Hill to meet a specific request from negotiating team members.
The WSJ report said that the $18 billion would go toward 700 miles of new replacement barriers, expanding the current 654 miles of barrier to nearly 1,000 miles. It’s unclear if this funding would be part of any governmentwide spending package that’s currently being negotiated in Congress.
Since Congress requested the document, it sounds like it will be part of DACA. That’s what I would expect anyway.
Of course, Pelosi is already whining about it:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, reacted to the report in a letter to House Democrats Friday, “This is alarming. We must all speak out.”
And I’m sure they will.