Senate Republicans are struggling to save funding for construction of former President Trump’s long-sought wall on the U.S.-Mexico border as Democrats press forward with plans to rescind nearly $2 billion in funding for his signature project.
Republicans in the upper chamber are pushing for the funding already allocated toward the barrier’s construction to be used to help continue progress on the project, a stalled effort that would likely take years longer and more money to complete.
Earlier this month, a group of Republicans — Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) — vowed in a letter not to back the annual appropriations legislation to fund the government if dollars are not set aside for the wall and implored their colleagues to do the same.
But not all Republicans are on board with the idea.
Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), top-ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, cautioned against withholding support from a bipartisan deal, a move that could imperil funding for other significant GOP-backed priorities, including military operations and national security.
“If we reach an agreement on everything else and including defense, security, the nation, everything, I wouldn’t hold that whole [appropriations] bill and punish the military,” Shelby said.
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