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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why Turkey's Kurdish insurgents are laying down their armsUnder the Radar The PKK said its aims can now be 'resolved through democratic politics'
-
Book reviews: 'Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves' and 'Notes to John'Feature The aughts' toxic pop culture and Joan Didion's most private pages
-
The FDA plans to embrace AI agencywideIn the Spotlight Rumors are swirling about a bespoke AI chatbot being developed for the FDA by OpenAI
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
