Democrats Turn The Tables On Trump And Use His Own Words To Kill The Border Wall

The campaign promise that Trump made to get Mexico to pay for his border wall was used by Democratic Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as justification for why Congress should not give Trump a single penny for his wall.

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Transcript via ABC’s This Week:

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STEPHANOPOULOS: What about funding for the border wall?

SCHUMER: The border wall should be talked about. It shouldn’t be rammed down people’s throats for a whole bunch of reasons. First, it’s not the best way to protect the border. Everyone agrees on that. Second, it’s very expensive. Why don’t we use that money for roads? Third, let’s give the president a chance to get Mexico to pay it. Isn’t that what he told everybody, that we weren’t going to pay it? And fourth, it’s got a big problem the Republicans are opposing — Texas, Arizona, because there’s eminent domain and you have to take the private land.

So, instead of trying to jam it through on this short-term budget and say take it or leave it, we should debate it in 2018’s budget over the summer.

And, by the way, my prediction, it wouldn’t get the votes on either the Democratic or Republican side.

Democrats plan on denying Trump funding for his wall because he promised that Mexico would pay for it. Senate Democrats are going to use the president’s own words to make sure that he doesn’t get a single taxpayer dollar for the construction of his wall. There are so many better uses for the funds than what Trump is proposing. The money could go to schools, bridges, roads. It could help deal with the opioid epidemic, fund jobs programs, or health care.

There are hundreds of better ways to spend taxpayer dollars than to build the wall.

If Trump wants his wall, he is going to have to live up to his campaign promise and get Mexico to pay for it, because it looks like the Senate isn’t going to give him a dime.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association