Donald Trump and his racist border wall are having the worst time ever and simply put, it’s been a joy to watch. First, there’s the whole government shutdown business over funding it. Second, there are some indications that some big-time downsizing could be in the works, maybe to save a little face. But this could be very well be the most brutal update of all (for Trump):
Not a single member of Congress who represents the territory on the southwest border said they support President Donald Trump’s request for $1.4 billion to begin construction of his promised wall, according to a Wall Street Journal survey, testing the administration’s ability to reach a deal on government funding next week.
Most lawmakers representing the region—both Democrats and Republicans—said they are opposed and many said they have unanswered questions. A few were noncommittal, but not a single member of the House or Senate representing the region expressed support for the funding request. That includes nine members of the House and eight senators across four states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
"In the Senate,” noted the Wall Street Journal, “none of the four Republicans representing border states have expressed support for the project as conceived by Mr. Trump:”
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, has repeatedly voiced concerns about the Trump spending request, including the impact of adding to the debt as well as the wisdom of the project. Mr. Cornyn has long said the Trump wall proposal is too narrowly focused, and he says he is working on legislation that would take a more comprehensive approach to border security.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) has said he also thinks border security should be focused elsewhere. “I will continue to review options as the current appropriations process moves forward,” he said in a statement Friday.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and John McCain (R., Ariz.) have both voiced skepticism about the Trump plan as well. A Cruz spokesman didn’t reply when asked directly whether he backs the supplemental spending request, and a McCain spokeswoman declined to comment.
They’re not alone in expressing disapproval, as terrible as it is to agree with Ted Cruz on anything.
As immigrant rights group America’s Voice noted earlier today, “a new Quinnipiac poll finds that the American public overwhelmingly opposes the wall, by a 64-33 percent margin.” Among border residents, 72 percent of Americans who live in the region opposed a wall. In fact, the wall got even less popular once Trump endorsed the idea, polls found. One Republican Congress member actually summed things up pretty well:
Mr. [Will] Hurd, whose district includes 800 miles along the border, describes a wall as “the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border.”