Republican Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1) officially introduced legislation to bypass Democratic obstruction and fund President Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the southern border of the United States.
Byrne’s bill, known as the “50 Votes for the Wall Act” (H.R. 7073), would use the budget reconciliation process to overcome a would-be filibuster by Senate Democrats. The legislation would also fully fund the border wall, eliminating the possibility that Democrats could bottle up funding in future appropriations bills, and direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to finalize construction of the wall before the beginning of Trump’s second term.
“Border security is national security, and we cannot allow Democrats to continue to block our efforts to build a wall along our southern border,” Byrne said in a release on Monday.
The bill has earned the support of FAIR, a leading immigration reform organization, and Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-3) and Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) have signed on in a group of early House cosponsors.
FAIR government relations director RJ Hauman said, “Even though President Trump and Congressional Republicans have a clear mandate from the American people, Democrat obstructionists have repeatedly blocked border wall funding and are once again threatening to do so in December. This is why it is important to pursue other avenues to ensure that the border wall is funded once and for all. One such avenue is Congressman Bradley Byrne’s Fifty Votes for the Wall Act – which provides a unique and filibuster-proof funding mechanism for the border wall. FAIR applauds Congressman Byrne for introducing this legislation, and recognizing that Democrat obstruction poses a significant national security risk.”
Read more about the bill here.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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