Trump intends to request another 8.6 billion dollars for the construction of the wall

This issue begins to be embedded in the context of the 2020 election campaign.

US President Donald Trump on Monday will request from Congress an additional $ 8.6 billion to build a wall, which he promised to build on the border with Mexico to fight illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

This was reported by officials familiar with his budget proposal for 2020.

This is more than six times the total amount of funds allocated to border security projects in this and the previous fiscal year, and is 9 percent more than Trump collected using his emergency powers this year.

Democrats oppose the construction of the wall, considering it completely unnecessary and immoral, and since they use their influence on the House of Representatives, it is unlikely that the president’s request will be approved by Congress.

Recall that the Senate is controlled by Republicans.
A budget request will appear shortly after a hard debate in Congress over the construction of the wall, which led to the five-week partial closure of the federal government, which ended in January. A new round of confrontation may begin on the eve of the grim triad of important financial dates, coming this fall.

Regardless of whether Trump accepts the budget proposal of the Congress, it will allow him to embed border security issues in the context of the upcoming presidential election campaign 2020, during which Trump will seek re-election for another presidential term.

“Build the wall” was one of Trump’s main promises during the first election campaign in 2016. The slogan “Finish the wall” has already become an excellent feature of his re-election campaign, combining the call that goes on banners and posters at his election rallies.

“[The budget request] gives the president the opportunity to say that he has fulfilled his commitment to gain operational control over the south-western border,” the administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We presented an action plan, strategy and demand to complete the work. Now the question is whether the Congress will allow us to complete this work, ”said the second administration official.

The budget must be adopted before October 1 - the beginning of the 2020 fiscal year. Otherwise, the government may close again.

And unless Congress and the White House agree to abolish the mandatory spending limits established by law in 2011, sharp cuts in many programs will take effect.

Around the same time, Trump and lawmakers must come to an agreement to raise the national debt ceiling in order to avoid a default that could have irreversible economic consequences.