Trump ties wall funding to government shutdown

Is President Donald Trump ready to compromise on his plan to make Mexico pay for a border wall? During an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, Trump brought up the wall many times but did not say that Mexico will pay for it, as he had repeatedly done on the campaign trail.

He did say one thing new to our ears: He threatened a government shutdown if "obstructionist Democrats" try to prevent the wall from being built.

"And we are building a wall on the southern border, which is absolutely necessary," Trump said. "Now the obstructionist Democrats would like us not to do it. But believe me, if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall."

One possible source of funding is making its way through Congress.

The House of Representatives on July 27 passed a $790 billion funding bill (H.R. 3219) that includes $1.6 billion for 28 miles of new levee wall and 46 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. Congress and the White House must agree on a funding plan before Sept. 30, the start of the next fiscal year.

Trump's threat to shut down the government comes a few weeks after a leaked transcript of a phone call between Trump and Mexican President Pena Nieto showed the two leaders butting heads over which country would foot the bill.

During the Jan. 27 conversation, Trump asked Nieto to stop saying publicly that Mexico will not pay for the wall because it put Trump in a political bind.

Another detail of his promise, the type of wall, has changed over the past several months. Trump said during the campaign that the wall would be "impenetrable." In July he said it would be a "steel wall with openings." He has also brought up the idea of creating a wall with solar panels.

At the Phoenix rally, Trump said he's aiming to build "walls that you can see through in a sense. You want to see what's on the other side."

H.R. 3219 specifies funding for 32 miles of "bollard fencing," 28 miles of "bollard levee wall," and 14 miles of "secondary fencing." A bollard is an upright steel post.

But before any type of border walls or fences are built, the funding bill still needs Senate approval. We continue to rate this promise In the Works.