Trump Calls for Wall Funding After Saying He's Closed Border
President Donald Trump called on lawmakers to fund his proposed wall along the Mexico-U.S. border.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump called on lawmakers to fund his proposed wall along the Mexico-U.S. border, a day after he said he’d ordered parts of it closed.
“Republicans and Democrats MUST come together, finally, with a major Border Security package, which will include funding for the Wall,” Trump said Friday on Twitter from his Palm Beach, Florida, club, where he’s spending the weekend.
The comment comes a day after the president said he’d signed an order to close the U.S. border with Mexico, adding that he’s authorized U.S. troops to use lethal force against migrants who attempt to enter the country. Trump wasn’t clear about what the directive entails.
The White House hasn’t released the order and didn’t respond to a request for comment. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment.
Before the midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of the House, Trump ordered the military to reinforce the U.S.-Mexican border, and repeatedly warned voters about a so-called “caravan” of migrants making its way from Central America to the U.S. His critics called the deployment of thousands of troops a political stunt.
--With assistance from Toluse Olorunnipa.
To contact the reporter on this story: Terrence Dopp in Washington at tdopp@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Derek Wallbank at dwallbank@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Ros Krasny
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