House Republicans, eager to elevate border security to a top 2022 campaign issue, said Monday they would revive the now-stalled construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that was championed by former President Donald Trump and nixed by President Joe Biden.
“I think we need to look at every possible tool,” House Conference Committee Chairwoman Liz Cheney said at the Republican issues retreat in Orlando, Florida. “That includes the wall, and it includes technology and being able to move again toward agreements where people who are seeking asylum stay in Mexico.”
TOP REPUBLICAN: TRUMP IS NOT THE PARTY LEADER
Cheney, of Wyoming, is among the most vocal Republican leaders to oppose Trump’s involvement in party politics. She voted to impeach Trump in January on a charge he incited an insurrection in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
But GOP lawmakers all appear to agree the border wall construction prioritized by Trump was an effective tool to help stem the surge in illegal border crossings and say it should resume.
Biden stopped new border wall construction when he took office in January, cutting off work even in areas where construction materials were paid for by the federal government and delivered to the border. The move has left big gaps in the wall, with construction materials laying on the ground beside the holes.
“We’ve already purchased the materials,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican. “They’re already sitting on the job site, and we are paying the contractors, now, to not build the wall.”
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Border security has risen to become a significant concern among voters in recent months as thousands of unaccompanied minors have flooded the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum.
A new Fox News Poll of 1,000 registered voters found 45% of respondents believe the border situation is worse under Biden than it was during the Trump administration. Among those surveyed, 38% said they believe Biden is to blame for the increase in illegal border migration.
