The Democrats’ leaders in the House and Senate bluntly warned they hoped President Donald Trump “learned his lesson” ahead of an expected request for $8.6 billion to build a long-promised border wall.
In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., reminded Trump of his prior defeat in the funding war with Congress.
“Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government,” the pair wrote about a chaotic month-long government shutdown from late 2018 into 2019. “The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. We hope he learned his lesson.
"President Trump hurt millions of Americans and caused widespread chaos when he recklessly shut down the government to try to get his expensive and ineffective wall, which he promised would be paid for by Mexico," the Democratic leaders said, adding:
“At a time when our country faces challenges about jobs for the future, this money would better be spent on rebuilding America, and on education and workforce development for jobs for the 21st Century.”
The statement positions Congress for a contentious negotiation on the president's fiscal 2020 budget proposal, which is set to be released Monday, The Hill reported.
Trump will request $8.6 billion for barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, pulling $5 billion from the Department of Homeland Security budget and $3.6 billion from the military construction budget at the Pentagon. The budget proposal also would include $3.6 million in military construction funding to help fund projects affected by the wall.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.