Trump Budget to Request $8.6 Billion in Additional Wall Funding
WASHINGTON — President Trump will ask Congress on Monday for $8.6 billion in additional funding to build a wall along the United States border with Mexico, a person familiar with the details said on Sunday.
The request, which will come as part of Mr. Trump's fiscal 2020 budget proposal, is certain to reignite a conflict with Democrats that led to a record-long government shutdown this year. Mr. Trump had previously requested $5.7 billion to build a wall but was rebuffed by both Democrats and Republicans, who approved a spending bill that did not include the funding.
That resulted in Mr. Trump declaring a national emergency on the border with Mexico to access billions of dollars that Congress refused to give him to build a wall there.
Larry Kudlow, the head of Mr. Trump's National Economic Council, confirmed the request for wall money on "Fox News Sunday." Mr. Kudlow added that he supposes "there will be" a fight over that spending in Congress.
"I would just say that the whole issue of the wall and border security is of paramount importance," Mr. Kudlow said. "We have a crisis down there."
Mr. Kudlow also defended proposed cuts to government programs that the budget is expected to include, and said the administration projects the economy will grow 3 percent this year, a forecast well above what the Federal Reserve and other outside economists expect.
Mr. Trump's budget is most likely dead on arrival in Congress, where Democrats now control the House. Many of his past proposals, including cuts in some federal spending programs, additional border wall funding and a large federal infrastructure initiative, failed to advance in Congress even when Republicans controlled both chambers.