Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump promised several times throughout his successful campaign that he would construct a large wall on the southern border of the United States. He used this message as a call to those who feel that their livelihoods have been impacted by the issue of illegal immigration.
It is not unusual for presidential candidates to make promises they cannot fully hold up, and it seems that this may be the case for the border wall. From the beginning, this plan suffered much criticism based mainly on funding and general effectiveness; funding being the biggest issue as Trump has claimed the wall would cost $8 billion, though the highest estimates are close to $25 billion.
Trump repeatedly proclaimed that Mexico was going to pay for this wall, and in one of the debates with Hillary Clinton he stated that if Mexico refused to pay then he would make up the money through the trade deficit with Mexico.
However, the President-elect may be preparing to use domestic sources to obtain funding. His team is looking to ask Congress to fund the $10 billion project through congressional appropriations, according to a report by Fox News. This means that the majority of the funding would come from revenue generated through taxes. Although this will be the catalyst to begin building the wall, Trump assures the United States is “going to get reimbursed” according to The New York Times.
This promise is in direct contrast to Mexican President Enrique Nieto’s statements in August of 2016. He stated that he “made clear that Mexico would not pay for the wall.”
By Nathan Howell