US President Donald Trump intends to ask Congress in his 2020 budget request, which is to be released on Monday, for extra $8.6 billion to fund the construction of a wall on the US border with Mexico, local media reported, citing sources in the US administration
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2019) US President Donald Trump intends to ask Congress in his 2020 budget request, which is to be released on Monday, for extra $8.6 billion to fund the construction of a wall on the US border with Mexico, local media reported, citing sources in the US administration.
Trump is expected to ask for additional $5 billion to finance activities of the Department of Homeland Security and $3.6 billion for the Defense Department's military construction budget, according to The Washington Post newspaper. This request could result in a new round of confrontation between the president and US Congress, the daily noted.
Trump's disagreements with the Democrats on the border wall issue have already resulted in a record 35-day government shutdown that ended in January.
In February, Congress passed a bipartisan appropriations bill that provided the Trump administration with $1.375 billion for a border wall, which was short from the initial $5.7 billion requested by the president. However, Trump used the executive action to bypass Congress and secure up to $8 billion in US Federal funds to install 234 miles of steel barriers along the country's 1,950-mile border with Mexico.
