Trump Touts Beauty of Border Wall

Claims it'll be 'artistically designed' and 'save us BILLIONS' haven't swayed Dems
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2018 7:52 AM CST
Trump Touts Beauty of Border Wall
A border fence in Columbus, NM, sits along the US-Mexico border at sunset.   (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

President Trump says his proposed border wall will do its job and look good doing it. "The Democrats are saying loud and clear that they do not want to build a Concrete Wall," but "we are building artistically designed steel slats, so that you can easily see through it," Trump tweeted Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats looked to find common ground in an effort to avoid a government shutdown. "It will be beautiful and, at the same time, give our Country the security that our citizens deserve," he added. That message clashed with criticism from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, which had nothing to do with the wall's appearance. "The wall isn't about money. The wall is about morality. It's the wrong thing to do. It doesn't work. It's not effective," Pelosi said, per the Hill.

Trump has demanded $5 billion in funding for the wall, which he says would "save us BILLIONS of dollars a month once completed," threatening a shutdown if he doesn't get it. However, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Tuesday that the administration was looking for wall funding at "every avenue," with the possibility that funds could be "reprogrammed" from other departments, to avoid a shutdown affecting 25% of the federal government before a Friday midnight deadline, per Fox News. With that, a short-term spending bill seems the most likely route forward. Per the Washington Post, the Senate Appropriations Committee has begun drafting a bill that would carry government funding into February, though it's not clear if Trump would sign such deal. (He's apparently still eying Mexico.)

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