Bill allocates $1.6 billion for Trump’s border wall

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released a bill allocating $1.6 billion to begin construction of a physical barrier along the U.S. border with Mexico, one of President Trump’s central campaign promises.

The bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2018 also negates one of Trump’s central promises, that Mexico would pay for the construction of the wall.

Earlier in the day, DHS spokesman David Lapan said that the requested funding would be crucial to moving the project beyond current repairs, replacements and prototype projects.

“On the DHS side it’s clear that we’ve gotten a direction to secure the southern border, that a wall and barrier is part of that process along with people and technology and that funding from Congress is required for us to move forward on that,” he said.

Conservative lawmakers in recent days had begun warning that they would pull their votes from a budget and spending plan that failed to fund the wall.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) went so far as to tell Breitbart News that Trump would not sign a spending measure if a wall were not funded, though the White House has not commented on the matter.

The bill's accompanying report, to be released next week, will specify where the segments of the wall are to be built and their associated funding.

In total, the bill allocates $13.8 billion to customs and border protection. That includes the $1.6 billion for the wall, $100 million to hire 500 more Border Patrol agents, $131 million for new border technology, $106 million for aircraft and sensors and $109 million for "non-intrusive inspection equipment."

It also adds $619.7 million to Immigration and Customs Enforcement over current levels, bringing total funding for ICE to $7 billion.

“Keeping Americans safe by protecting our homeland is a top priority. This funding bill provides the resources to begin building a wall along our southern border, enhance our existing border security infrastructure, hire more border patrol agents, and fund detention operations,” said House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman John Carter.

The halls and rooms of Congress should be considered hallowed ground.

The Republic is affected by everything done there. These men and women have the power to change things for the better, to act honorably, to return things to the principles of our Founding.

Today it seems all we have are perverts and people on the take.

People like George Soros own many of them. Special interest control many of them. It is shocking what they are either doing or refusing to do on a daily basis.

Trump can’t count on them at all.

We have waited a lifetime to have the majority in Congress and a man in the White House who is of a mind to repair this nation.

And so they sit on their hands on Capital Hill, and Trump has to take what he can get, as if he represented the opposition party.

I guess that’s fitting, since he does. He’s a party of one in power, and the Uniparty is positioned against him.

He’s our champion, the nation’s champion, not theirs.

This is why I can’t stand the carping from the Right. The only support the man has in Washington, D.C., is the good will of his supporters back home.

Some can’t see any reason why he hasn’t fulfilled every promise by now. “Why he was lying to us.”

Some people are so damned challenged by simply concepts.

“Oh I’m going to be a good Conservative no matter what you say D1. You won’t shut me up, prevent me from outing Trump.”

Good freakin grief. Have you no clue folks?

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