President Trump's administration is attempting to claim that existing sections of the border wall "count" as "new wall" if they are repaired, and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) isn't buying it. The congressman made his comments on MSNBC on Thursday, suggesting that trying to spin old wall as "new wall" is an attempt "to move us into a very Orwellian world," ThinkProgress' Aaron Rupar reports.
Last week, the Trump administration said it could fund 100 miles of repairs and new construction, including replacing 28 miles of structure near San Diego and another 20 miles in New Mexico. The U.S-Mexico border is 2,000 miles long. The White House had originally requested $25 billion for a new wall in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, but ultimately was given $1.6 billion by Congress that was designated specifically for repairing existing walls and updating technology. In frustration, Trump has reportedly considered dipping into Pentagon funding.
Gallego suggested the whole thing is a charade, as evidenced by the attempt to claim old walls as new walls. "This presidency is more worried about PR towards people watching Fox News and reading Breitbart than they are about actually accomplishing true border security," Gallego said, adding that "even [Trump's] own base doesn't believe the semantics that they're playing with right now."
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Old wall, new wall — hey, time is a construct anyway, right? Watch below. Jeva Lange
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