Frelinghuysen-Led Plan Has $1.6B For Trump’s Border Wall

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen may have come down on one side of the fence regarding the Trump border wall with Mexico.

Frelinghuysen, who chairs the House Committee on Appropriations, recently championed the proposed 2018 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill, calling it “a balanced approach that enhances our capabilities and preparedness.”

But here’s what has some pundits and civil rights activists worried: The plan includes $1.6 billion to fund a “physical barrier construction along the U.S. southern border.”

Somewhere, a president and his administration may be smiling.

Frelinghuysen’s stance on the idea of building a huge wall along the Mexican border has been less clear than the president’s, however.

Following one of Frelinghuysen’s infamous “telephone town halls” in February, a reporter on the call claimed that the congressman stated he would oppose funding a Mexican border wall. A spokesperson for Frelinghuysen ardently denied the reporter’s claim after the conference call ended.

• See related article: Frelinghuysen Holds Controversial 'Invitation-Only' Telephone Town Hall

But here’s what Frelinghuysen had to say about the bill after its passage through committee earlier this month:

“Globalization, cyber-security, and terrorism activities are changing our way of life and we need to change with it… The bill provides the necessary funding for critical technology and physical barriers to secure our borders.”

• See related article: Will New Jersey Get Fair Share From Federal Spending Bills?

Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman John Carter echoed Frelinghuysen’s support of the proposed spending plan:

“Keeping Americans safe by protecting our homeland is a top priority. This funding bill provides the resources to begin building a wall along our southern border, enhance our existing border security infrastructure, hire more border patrol agents, and fund detention operations. Additionally, this bill will increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, support grants in cases of emergency and natural disaster, and provide critical resources to protect our cyber networks.”

BUILDING THE WALL

President Trump signed an executive order authorizing a wall along the Mexican border in January, as Patch previously reported. That executive order did not specify how the wall would be paid for, but he later suggested a 20 percent import tax as one possible option.

Trump has said many times Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has refuted that claim.

Estimates for how much the wall might cost vary greatly. Trump has pegged the cost between $10 billion and $12 billion; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said between $12 billion and $15 billion. According to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report obtained by Reuters, it could cost as much as $21.6 billion.

Frelinghuysen has been for border control projects in the past, having voted yes in 2006 on the Secure Fence Act, authorizing federal funds to build a fence along the Mexican border. (You can read more about his immigration related votes here.)

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Photo: HouseAppropsGOP, Twitter

This article cites earlier reporting by Katie Kausch