Trump seeks $18 billion to begin building border wall
Donald ] Trump
The Trump administration has told lawmakers that  it  wants $18 billion over the next decade for the initial phase of a Mexico border wall  laying out for the first time a detailed financial blueprint for the president's signature campaign promise.
"President [Donald]  Trump  has said  he  may need a good government shutdown to get  his  wall. With this demand   he  seems to be heading in that direction " said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois  the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee.
Though  Trump  ran for office on a promise that Mexico would pay for a border wall  the spending plan indicates American taxpayers would fund it for at least the foreseeable future.
 Trump  has told Democrats  he  is unwilling to reach an agreement unless they fund  his  wall plan  among other measures  but the CBP document is the first time  his  administration has sketched out what that might cost.
Democrats have repeatedly said they will not pay for a wall. Even though on a year-over-year basis the CBP request would not represent a dramatic funding increase over current border spending levels  it would represent a long-term commitment to a physical structure that  Trump  would be able to claim as a political trophy.
" Trump  can have a shutdown fight over  his  stupid wall that pleases the nativists in  his  base  or  he  can have a breakthrough that pairs the Dream Act and border security so  he  can brag  he  did something Obama couldn't get done.  He  can't have both " said Frank Sharry  executive director of America's Voice  an immigrant advocacy group. "This move by the White House does not bode well."
 Trump  has said  he  may travel to San Diego to inspect the prototypes  which range in height from 18 to 30 feet and combine different formulations of see-through steel bars  concrete slabs and metal spikes.
The Trump administration has told lawmakers that  it  wants $18 billion over the next decade for the initial phase of a Mexico border wall  laying out for the first time a detailed financial blueprint for the president's signature campaign promise.
"President [Donald]  Trump  has said  he  may need a good government shutdown to get  his  wall. With this demand   he  seems to be heading in that direction " said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois  the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee.
Though  Trump  ran for office on a promise that Mexico would pay for a border wall  the spending plan indicates American taxpayers would fund it for at least the foreseeable future.
 Trump  has told Democrats  he  is unwilling to reach an agreement unless they fund  his  wall plan  among other measures  but the CBP document is the first time  his  administration has sketched out what that might cost.
Democrats have repeatedly said they will not pay for a wall. Even though on a year-over-year basis the CBP request would not represent a dramatic funding increase over current border spending levels  it would represent a long-term commitment to a physical structure that  Trump  would be able to claim as a political trophy.
" Trump  can have a shutdown fight over  his  stupid wall that pleases the nativists in  his  base  or  he  can have a breakthrough that pairs the Dream Act and border security so  he  can brag  he  did something Obama couldn't get done.  He  can't have both " said Frank Sharry  executive director of America's Voice  an immigrant advocacy group. "This move by the White House does not bode well."
 Trump  has said  he  may travel to San Diego to inspect the prototypes  which range in height from 18 to 30 feet and combine different formulations of see-through steel bars  concrete slabs and metal spikes.