Democrats are not backing down. They just announced that they will threaten a government shutdown unless the GOP votes to shut down 450+ miles of border wall construction!
Republicans are cowards. Donald Trump won the Presidency on a promise to secure the southern border and the GOP refused to help him achieve this. They spent two years blocking funding from going to new border wall construction.
When Trump took office, the US-Mexico border had 649 miles of "barriers." That is the official terminology used by Homeland Security because many of the barriers are "vehicle barriers." They are designed to stop cars or trucks from crossing the border, but even a toddler would be able to slip right through on foot.
Even though the GOP caved and blocked new border wall construction, their bills allowed for renovations to current barriers. So, Trump used that funding to replace dozens of miles the vehicle barriers with new, impenetrable 18-30 foot tall border wall sections.
When Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats took over the House this year, they tried to put a stop to that. They passed a spending package that cut all funding to border wall construction, except what was absolutely necessary to repair (not renovate) existing fencing. They also blocked Homeland Security funds from building border fencing in certain areas of the border, like the National Butterfly Sanctuary. (Yes, they really made the butterfly sanctuary off-limits)
But again, Trump outsmarted them. He signed a national emergency declaration and reprogrammed Pentagon funds to keep the border wall Construction going. The first 60-mile stretch of new construction just finished in Arizona last week. Border Patrol now estimates that by the end of Trump's first term, almost 600 miles of new border fencing will be finished. Over 450 miles of that will be completed in the next year using the funding from Trump's national emergency order.
Democrats and Republicans, of course, are furious. They are vowing to cut off the funding from Trump's emergency order and shut down the border wall construction once and for all.
And now we know how they plan to do it!
Democrats are demanding that Pelosi fight back against Trump and stop this construction before any new border wall sections go up. The Left wants to keep the border as open as possible for as long as possible. We have always known that. What we never expected, however, was just how many Republicans were going to join Democrats to block Trump from building the wall.
In the House, 13 Republicans have already voted to try to block this funding: Fitzpatrick (PA), Gallagher (WI), Herrera-Beutler (WA), Hurd (TX), Johnson (SD), Massie (KY), Rodgers (WA), Rooney (FL), Sensenbrenner (WI), Stefanik (NY), Upton (MI), Walden (OR), and Amash (MI). In the Senate, a dozen Republican Senators also voted against the border wall funding: Alexander (TN), Blunt (MO), Collins (ME), Lee (UT), Moran (KS), Murkowski (AK), Paul (KY), Portman (OH), Rubio (FL), Romney (UT), Toomey (PA), and Wicker (MS).
When the border wall funding came up for a vote back in March, these so-called Conservatives voted to revoke the President's National Emergency and block the border wall construction projects. Now, the funding is coming up for a vote again. But instead voting on a standalone bill, this time it will be attached to the yearly must-pass spending package.
Democrats have already attached their anti-Border Wall amendment to the spending bill. It states, quite simply, that "no Federal funds may be used for the construction of physical barriers along the southern land border of the United States during fiscal year 2020."
This single sentence, if it passes, would end all border wall construction, renovation, and repair. It would block all Federal funds from being used, essentially revoking the President's national emergency. Not only would Trump have to cancel 450 miles of border wall construction projects, but it would also block Homeland Security from repairing damaged sections of fencing. If a smuggler cuts a hole in the border fence, Border Patrol would have to leave the hole there for an entire year. This is what open borders looks like...
And now, the bill is coming up for a vote. Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer just announced that Democrats are will not budge on their demands and that they will refuse to remove this amendment from the bill. The Left says that if Republicans want to avoid a government shutdown, they will need to vote to kill the border wall project.
Republicans always lose these fights because they are terrified of being blamed for government shutdowns. Every year, they cave to the Left's spending demands and abandon their conservative promises because they are cowards and the Democrats know it.
On Monday, we knew exactly which 25 Republicans we had to stop from flipping. But today, that number has likely doubled because there is no shortage of cowards in the Republican Party.
The vote is coming. You must fight back!
This is it. Everything we have been fighting for... it all comes down to this.
If Trump's national emergency order stands, then he will finish his first term with almost 600 miles of new border wall. But if the Democrats get their way, and this one-sentence amendment passes, then the border will remain wide open.
You must stop this before it's too late!
Never give up,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
No comments yet - make the first one!