CNN: Trump to Ask Congress For $1 Billion 'Down Payment' For Border Wall

President Donald Trump's administration will reportedly ask for $1 billion this year to begin building the border wall that will separate the United States and Mexico, despite estimates that the wall's total cost could exceed $20 billion.

CNN cites a source who said Trump is planning to put in a request for supplemental funds for this year's budget. Of the $30 billion that will be requested, $6.6 billion will be marked for border security. And $1 billion of that will be for the wall's construction.

Congress will receive the request for supplemental funds on March 16, CNN reports.

CNN's source compared the wall construction money to a "down payment."

Aside from the border wall construction funds, the $6.6 billion for border security would be for ICE training, operations within the Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other costs.

A Department of Homeland Security report claimed the border wall may come with a price tag of $21.6 billion. During the presidential campaign, Trump said the wall would cost $12 billion.

In January after Trump was sworn in, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell estimated the wall's cost to be between $12 billion and $15 billion.

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