They tried that back in February. Trump fucked it up.
First off, I no longer trust any “firm commitment” on the part of Republican leadership. So it will have to be a dollar-for-dollar deal, where Trump gets money for his vanity-project wall and the Democrats get money to fund an issue that’s important to them.
I’m pretty progressive. An issue that’s important to me is Right to Choose. So how about this: Every dollar that goes to fund the wall is matched with a dollar to fund abortions for women in need.
So decide, Conservatives. How important is funding that wall? Important enough to fund women’s right to choose?
That’s a very good article. Thank you for pointing it out.
No matter how Congress approaches this issue there’s always a good chance Trump will screw it up with more demands or just rejecting the deal.
I’m not sure what will happen. We do need some additional fencing and technology along the border. But it doesn’t look like we’ll get it with this President making outrageous demands.
It’s a long time until the 2020 election.
You keep ignoring the fact that virtually all of the border that’s easily crossable already has a wall or fence, yet you continue to advocate for more of the same.
No, he advocates for appeasing Trump, for reasons?
I’m relying on DHS recommendation for a additional 200 miles of fencing and adding sensors. It’s DHS’ job to know where that fencing is needed.
A lot of the work funded last year hasn’t been completed. Construction will continue for awhile regardless of what happens with the current budget.
Apparently some of the old fencing built over a decade ago is in bad shape.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/heavy.com/news/2018/12/read-homeland-security-memo-border-wall/amp/
DHS plans seem reasonable compared to Trump’s simplistic demands to build a wall along the entire border.
A fence or wall isn’t intended to be impenetrable. It’s there to slow down intruders and gives border patrol time to respond.
Updated sensors will certainly give border patrol an advantage in responding quickly.
Yet again, essentially continuing what we’re already doing? How is that related, at all, to Trump’s newest tantrum?
aceplace57, Trump isn’t trying to keep his campaign promises. He’s trying to break them. It’s the Congress that’s trying to keep his promises.
His promise was that it would be Mexico who paid for the wall, not the US. By refusing US funding for the Wall, Congress is doing exactly what the people said they wanted when they elected Trump.
Trump was delusional on his Mexico promise. It’s one of many reasons I don’t support him.
Mexico would be hard pressed to pay 5 billion for anything. They aren’t a wealthy nation.
Mexico has a GDP of $1.2 trillion, almost $9k per capita. They can handle a $5 billion expense.
Yeah, that’s where it breaks down. Firm commitments from republican leadership aren’t worth trusting in “normal*” times, and given that Trump has already gone back on what he told the republicans that he would do, it wouldn’t matter even if they could be believed to honor it.
He just wants his trumpgeld, and when he gets it he will demand more.
*“normal” being 2010 to trump’s election, as that wasn’t really normal like 1980’s republicans, but more “normal” than the shit show they are currently running.
They could but they won’t.
Yes, I’m quite aware that Mexico isn’t going to pay for the Wall. But that part’s Trump’s problem, not ours. Isn’t he supposed to be the master negotiator?
What is my problem, though, is that, by Trump’s own promises, no US money is going to pay for the Wall.
There is a minor quibble that some areas of the fence have gates. Why? Because the fences run through land owned by Americans, and they want access to their land. It effectively funnels border traffic in those areas, but doesn’t stop it.
And the solution to that is to kick American citizens off of their land in order to protect “freedom.”
Good god awmighty, this is silly. Do you grasp anything about either other nations or the issue you’re debating?
1. Mexico has the 15th highest GDP of any nation on earth. That puts them in the top 10% of nations. Mexico’s GDP is higher than Switzerlands. Or Argentinas. Or Swedens.
Or Saudi Arabias. Are they poor?
- The wall will accomplish nothing. The vast majority of undocumented immigrants come into the US legally and overstay visas. In 2017 fewer than 1/4 of people illegally entering this country did so overland. Even that number has declined 90% since 2000.
I’ve traveled in Mexico several times. That includes two backpacking trips in the early 1990’s. I met some nice people that welcomed me into their homes. The country certainly didn’t appear to be a wealthy nation.
I haven’t researched their GDP and frankly don’t have any interest in doing so.
It’s not relevant to this debate. Their ex president has stated strongly that they won’t pay for a wall.
GDP is relevant to the frankly insulting statement that “Mexico would be hard pressed to pay 5 billion for anything. They aren’t a wealthy nation.”
nm