Key red-state Democrat sides with Trump on wall funding [View all]
Source: Politico
'I’m fine with providing him some more,' Indiana's Joe Donnelly said of the president's funding request.
By BURGESS EVERETT 08/08/2018 05:02 AM EDT
INDIANAPOLIS — One of the most vulnerable Democratic senators said he supports giving President Donald Trump billions of dollars for his border wall — a sharp break from the rest of the party planning to spurn Trump's wall in spending negotiations this fall.
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), who is facing a new round of ads criticizing his position on immigration this week, said that Trump should get much more than the $1.6 billion the Senate Appropriations Committee has been preparing to send him. Trump has repeatedly threatened to shut the government down either before or after the election without a significant infusion of money to fulfill his signature campaign promise, often telling lawmakers he wants $5 billion in the September spending bill.
The moderate Democrat says he does “not want under any circumstances” a shutdown. So he said Congress should “absolutely” provide the president with a larger amount of border wall funding this fall to avoid one.
“I’m fine with providing him some more. I actually voted for border wall funding three different times,” Donnelly said in an interview here. “I’m fine with that. I’m fine with $3 [billion], $3.5, $4 or $5” billion this fall.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/08/indiana-donnelly-trump-border-wall-senate-766343
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