(FeaturedNews.com) – Negotiators from both sides of the aisle are trying to reach a solution to some longstanding budget issues before the next looming government shutdown deadline expires on March 11. Border security, particularly the border wall issue, is one of the larger hurdles lawmakers must overcome rather than pass another stop-gap measure to temporarily fund government spending.
Border security is always a tough issue, according to Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). The number of detention beds is in “contention,” but the senator notes that talks are making progress.
Border Wall Funds In Dispute
One issue hampering talks is the funds left over from former President Donald Trump’s border wall spending package. Trump reallocated funds for security that President Joe Biden nixed. His administration is focused on technology and infrastructure rather than a physical wall and has called for an end to spending on the massive border wall project for its proposed fiscal year 2022 budget, which begins in November.
Ending the Trump-era wall program left $2 billion in previously-allocated funds, leaving a windfall for other projects yet to be decided. Democrats are looking to reallocate those funds to IT modernization as well as an upgraded and expanded transit system for border patrol personnel. Environmental mitigation efforts are also on their list.
Where The Issue Stands
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security chair Chris Murphy (D-CT) said he hopes the leftover funds won’t be a sticking point and noted that the committee had made significant progress.
Border security remains a hot topic with Americans, and an NBC poll that asked about 13 different issues revealed that Republicans have far more trust among voters than Democrats.
Poll respondents chose Republicans over Democrats by a 27-point margin, the largest of any of the questions asked. The poll covered topics across the political and social spectrum. A Gallup poll specific to immigration found that Americans in 2022 are considerably more dissatisfied with immigration numbers than in 2021.
Is There Still A Border Wall?
The existing border wall has been undergoing maintenance and repairs for quite some time. Sections of the existing wall are only removed when they are replaced. The federal government’s plans to expand the wall have officially been scrapped.
Speaking of scrapped, however, 1700 panels remaining from Trump’s wall project have been sent to Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) will use them for his state-funded wall expansion project.
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