{"id":18834,"date":"2017-01-06T06:57:22","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T06:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=18834"},"modified":"2017-01-06T06:57:22","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T06:57:22","slug":"congress-looks-to-start-building-a-mexican-border-wall-within-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/congress-looks-to-start-building-a-mexican-border-wall-within-months.html","title":{"rendered":"Congress looks to start building a Mexican border wall within months"},"content":{"rendered":"
Congress looks to start building a Mexican border wall within months<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Congress looks to start building a Mexican border wall within months:-<\/strong> In a bid to swiftly deliver on one of President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s chief campaign promises, congressional Republicans are exploring ways to begin funding a barrier on the U.S. southern border starting as soon as April.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multiple lawmakers described the plans Thursday, which would use authority under a 2006 law supported by Republicans and Democrats alike to justify spending that could eventually reach into the billions of dollars.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the beginning of this campaign, Trump pledged to \u201cbuild a wall and make Mexico pay for it.\u201d While the funding under discussion in Congress would be from U.S. taxpayer funds, it would not preclude Trump\u2019s administration from seeking reimbursement from Mexico, as Trump himself has discussed on the campaign trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said Mexico is paying for the wall, with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such a wall, okay?\u201d he said during an Oct. 22 speech in Gettysburg, Pa. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have the wall. Mexico is going to pay for the wall.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A number of Republican lawmakers believe that Trump has authority under the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to commence construction on a wall. That law, backed by President George W. Bush, mandated 700 miles of \u201creinforced fencing\u201d along the U.S.-Mexico border along with enhanced surveillance systems that came to be known as a \u201cvirtual fence.\u201d But the full complement of barriers was never completed, and GOP lawmakers believe that the law provides sufficient authority to complete a full border wall like that described by Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n

That would allow Congress, without passing a new piece of legislation, to start funding the wall through the normal appropriations process. Current federal spending authority expires on April 28, and Republicans could push to include border wall funding in any spending legislation that would follow. While Democrats could well block a separate border wall bill, it would be more difficult for them to block spending legislation, thus risking a government shutdown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several high-profile Democrats, including then-Sen. Barack Obama and current Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, voted for the Secure Fence Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an existing law that hasn\u2019t been implemented, in part based on the ideology and philosophy of the outgoing president,\u201d said Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, who said he was one of several lawmakers pushing the approach. \u201cI see nothing partisan about trying to comply with existing laws.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Associated Press first reported on the GOP discussions Thursday<\/span><\/p>\n

Key policy decisions have not yet been made \u2014 where to start building, for instance, or whether the barrier ought to be a fence or a solid wall. Messer said a broader border security bill could follow a move to start spending on a wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a proposal that would cost billions of dollars to get done, but if it\u2019s an appropriate priority for our country, it\u2019s worth spending that kind of money,\u201d Messer said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another lawmaker, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a fierce opponent of illegal immigration said he did not know precisely how Trump wanted to proceed with the wall, but speculated on what his considerations might be.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what he\u2019s asking is: What do you have now? What are the assets we have to work with, and what are the challenges for right-of-way acquisition?\u201d King said. \u201cWhat are the tools they have within the departments? How much money is sitting around in the [Department of Homeland Security] that could be reallocated? What do they have in the books for design, and how much engineering have they done? He\u2019s got the authority to do a lot without moving legislation, but he wants to know what would require legislation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

King said he was not especially concerned that Congress, not the Mexican government, would be writing the first checks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we build that wall, and Donald Trump hasn\u2019t figured out how to get Mexico to pay, I\u2019m not going to be the guy who says, \u2018Let\u2019s wait until we get this in pesos,’\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/powerpost\/wp\/2017\/01\/05\/congress-looks-to-start-building-a-mexican-border-wall-within-months\/?utm_term=.a4cc3319b611<\/span><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t