On Friday’s episode of Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was optimistic about the future of President Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Democrats have threatened to force the government into a shutdown if funding for the wall were included in the appropriations process currently underway. The Haleyville Republican said the unanswered question was just how far do congressional Democrats want to go to thwart wall funding.
“I think it all depends on what Democrats do with funding the wall,” Aderholt said. “The Democrats – they just do not want to have the border security on the wall issue. The president very much does want to have it. So trying to figure out a way – you know, the president ran on this issue. He was elected because of this issue, and I feel like he thinks he needs to live up – I feel like all us feel like he needs to do that. It is a very important it issue. I think we’ll see what the Democrats want to do. If they want to shut down the government over saying – no funding for the wall, so I think it’s really up to them.”
Aderholt indicated Trump’s push for the wall was justified given that he campaigned and won the presidency on the issue.
“I think a lot of it will depend on the political climate as we get closer to the election,” he said. “But, it’s amazing to me this is the one issue they’re dug in on. They do not want to build the wall, but yet that’s what the president talks about. It would be one thing if the president never talked about it and now wants to build the wall. That’s the thing he talks about probably the most. That’s the thing the American people want – border security. So, having a secure wall and having a border there. Years ago — you go back decades ago or a hundred years ago, this was not an issue because you didn’t have the problem you have today. It’s a real issue.”
When asked by “Capitol Journal” host Don Dailey if he thought the wall would be funded, Aderholt said that he did.
“I think it will,” he replied. “The president is really dug in. As you know, when the president gets on an issue, he stays with it. And of course, the House and Senate are both Republican.”
“And again, I don’t know the Democrats want to go home and say, ‘We shut down the government because we don’t want to build a wall. We don’t want to secure the border,’” Aderholt added.
Dailey went on to ask Aderholt if he thought the death of Mollie Tibbets, who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant, advanced the case for a border wall.
“I think it absolutely does,” he said. “It’s situations like this — until we get this resolved, you’re going to see more of this.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
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