President-elect Donald Trump once said, “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border.” But it turns out that glorious promise may wind up being a modest fence.
Republicans in the House of Representatives are hoping to discuss an alternative border plan with Trump once his transition team is firmly set in place, Reuters reports.
It could prove to be the first advance that House Republicans make in defusing the quixotic rhetoric from Trump’s lengthy campaign.
On Wednesday, just a day after Trump won the White House, congressional aides told Reuters that they plan on discussing a less costly option to Trump’s grand — and expensive — wall.
Their plan includes more border fencing and increased patrol via federal agents, many of whom are a part of a labor union which backed Trump’s bid for the presidency.
A double-layered fence would hypothetically be laid across the nearly 2,000-mile border. This contrasts Trump’s vision of a tall, impenetrable, brick-and-mortar wall.
A House Republican aide and an official from the Department of Homeland Security maintained that a wall is not practical, for it would reduce visibility for those patrolling the border, and it would have to be erected on rough terrain, even bodies of water and private land.
Mexico reiterated the fact that they would not finance a border wall — which Trump suggested could happen while stumping on the campaign trail. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto did, however, congratulate Trump on his victory over the phone before saying they agreed to work towards a relationship of trust in the future.
After the president-elect rode the escalator down Trump Tower in June 2015 to announce his candidacy, he said, “I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me — and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”
According to the Reuters report, immigration law expert Steve Legomsky believes that Congress will not fund a vast wall, but to save face, the new president and congressional leaders may agree to extend the existing fence.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell underscored the importance of border security on Wednesday, saying that they’ll achieve it “in whatever way is the most effective,” Reuters reports.
Trump takes office January 20, 2017, but the plan’s specifics could be introduced to the president-elect once his cabinet has been named.
Poster Comment:
And already they begin to backstab the gullible fools who voted for Trump.
#1: rlk To: Willie Green (#0)
rlk posted on 2016-11-10 14:55:41 Reply Private Reply
#2: nolu chan To: Willie Green (#0)
nolu chan posted on 2016-11-10 14:59:37 Reply Private Reply
#3: calcon To: Willie Green (#0)
Brings tears to you doesn't it.
calcon posted on 2016-11-10 15:36:02 Reply Private Reply
#4: civilwarbuff To: rlk (#1)
civilwarbuff posted on 2016-11-10 15:52:49 Reply Private Reply
#5: misterwhite To: Willie Green (#0)
WHAT?? Defusing the quixotic rhetoric? It was that quixotic rhetoric that got Trump elected, you ignorant assholes.
So what's the point in defusing it now? Did Obama defuse Obamacare once he was elected?
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-10 16:05:57 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: Willie Green (#0)
Damn! I wish there was some sort of device that could capture images and transfer them, possibly through the air, to some other receiving device like a TV or something.
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-10 16:15:44 Reply Private Reply
#7: ConservingFreedom To: Willie Green (#0)
President Trump should call them out by name: "The following GOPe chickenshits don't want to secure our border ..."
ConservingFreedom posted on 2016-11-10 17:51:22 Reply Private Reply
#8: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#6)
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-10 17:53:26 Reply Private Reply
#9: rlk To: civilwarbuff (#4)
I do! It will perform only as good as it looks. If it looks rickety and ramshackle, that's the way it will perform. A wall is what was promised and is what we need. I want to see a concrete interstate highway turned sideways with gun turrets manned by snipers every quarter mile.
rlk posted on 2016-11-10 18:26:51 Reply Private Reply
#10: redleghunter To: ConservingFreedom (#7)
That's how Reagan did it. Although not using those exact words. :)
When he was stonewalled by Congress, he went on national television appealing to the very people who elected him. He even gave out the phone numbers of the House and Senate switch.
redleghunter posted on 2016-11-10 18:36:40 Reply Private Reply
#11: Vicomte13 To: Willie Green (#0)
Trump laid out his three legislative priorities today: the Border, Health Care, Jobs.
That's just what he hammered on in his campaign. Now he's starting to discuss implementing it, with men in a Congress who never thought they would actually be dealing with a President Trump.
So, they're thinking in terms of the already passed 2006 Border Fence Act. There's already legislation in place to allow the building of the wall. The act says fence. If the border barriers get built, and the patrols happen, and illegal immigration is cut off, and illegals begin to be deported, do you really think that Trump voters are so stupid as to turn on him? There will be walls in parts, probably fences in other parts. How are you going to build a wall along a mountain canyon? It's silly. YOU may think we're so stupid as to get hung up on this, that we're going to be betrayed because the Border FENCE Act is used to fund the Border Wall, and Fence - the barrier.
It's not about the physical structure, it's about stopping the illegal immigration WITH a physical structure. There will be PLENTY of brick and mortar, or metal, wall on that border. The whole thing will start to be built. Suppose we get 500 miles into it, and illegal immigration has stopped, and the combination of other policies have caused illegals to self-deport by the millions. Do you really think we're going to reject Trump if he slows down on the wall then? The OBJECTIVE will have been achieved.
If Illegals continue to flow in, then the Wall will be completed. The whole thing may ultimately have to be completeld. If part of it is Korean DMZ barbed wire barriers as opposed to Greak Wall of China masonry, YOU might care, but most of us won't. Stop the illegal immigration. Get the wall up. Deport.
If it works, without completely finishing the wall, then you don't have to spend the money to finish it do you? No.
Vicomte13 posted on 2016-11-10 18:44:20 Reply Private Reply
#12: redleghunter To: Vicomte13 (#11)
redleghunter posted on 2016-11-10 18:54:11 Reply Private Reply
#13: Abcdefg To: Willie Green (#0)
Abcdefg posted on 2016-11-10 18:59:19 Reply Private Reply
#14: Willie Green To: Vicomte13 (#11)
Horse manure...
Willie Green posted on 2016-11-10 19:14:42 Reply Private Reply
#15: A K A Stone To: Willie Green (#14)
I thought you liberals ate murdered babies. Thanks for letting us know it is also horse manure. You're a strange bunch. Munch on.
A K A Stone posted on 2016-11-10 19:28:29 Reply Private Reply
#16: GrandIsland To: Willie Green (#14)
GrandIsland posted on 2016-11-10 20:21:32 Reply Private Reply
#17: Willie Green To: A K A Stone (#15)
Here's a clue for you: Trump isn't going to save any babies.... If anything, more innocent babies will suffer developmental disorders and agonizing disabilities & death due to inadequate health care...
And like Pontius Pilate, you & Trump will simply wash your hands of any responsibility because you didn't want to pay any taxes to help them out of poverty.
Willie Green posted on 2016-11-10 20:41:12 Reply Private Reply
#18: A K A Stone To: Willie Green (#17)
A K A Stone posted on 2016-11-10 20:49:03 Reply Private Reply
#19: civilwarbuff To: rlk (#9)
You volunteering to be one of the snipers?
civilwarbuff posted on 2016-11-10 21:35:05 Reply Private Reply
#20: U don't know me To: misterwhite (#6)
Check with Walmart and see where they got theirs.
U don't know me posted on 2016-11-11 07:41:54 Reply Private Reply
#21: CZ82 To: Willie Green (#17)
Yeah letting the poor have a good paying job is too demeaning isn't it?
CZ82 posted on 2016-11-11 08:18:09 Reply Private Reply
#22: Willie Green To: CZ82 (#21)
"Trickle Down" didn't work for Bush... there's no reason to expect it'll work for Trump.
Willie Green posted on 2016-11-11 09:04:22 Reply Private Reply
#23: CZ82 To: Willie Green (#22)
CZ82 posted on 2016-11-11 10:38:41 Reply Private Reply
#24: misterwhite To: Roscoe (#8)
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-11 10:48:18 Reply Private Reply
#25: misterwhite To: rlk (#9)
The blueprints are on order from Israel. Pre-cast concrete slabs lifted and l locked into place. Simple and effective.
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-11 11:01:01 Reply Private Reply
#26: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#25)
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-11 11:22:04 Reply Private Reply
#27: misterwhite To: Roscoe (#26)
That's coming in Phase III. Phase II is remote-controlled machine guns e equipped with cameras:
Here's your Phase III:
misterwhite posted on 2016-11-11 12:14:56 Reply Private Reply
#28: Roscoe To: misterwhite (#27)
Roscoe posted on 2016-11-11 22:46:23 Reply Private Reply