A Republican lawmaker has accused some members of his party of blocking the construction of a border wall because they are playing politics.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., has served in the House since 2011. He is running for the Senate seat left open by the departure of Jeff Sessions, the current attorney general. According to The Hill, Brooks addressed immigration in a recent campaign email.
"The wall is being held up because of a tacit deal that has existed for years between moderate Republican big business and Democratic Party," the email read, per The Hill.
President Donald Trump has pushed for a border wall between the United States and Mexico for two years, starting when he announced he was running for president. His administration received more than 200 responses to a request for proposals for the project, but The Washington Post reported in June the project could face several problems — including funding.
Prototypes, however, are slated to be built later this summer.
Brooks also posted a campaign ad for his Senate run on YouTube in which he called for the wall to be built.
"We're going to build that wall, or you'll know the name of every Republican who surrenders to the Democrats to break my filibuster," Brooks said in the ad. "I give you my word, and I don't give my word lightly."