Trump Administration Seeks $18 Billion From Congress for Border Wall

President Trump’s administration is looking for $18 billion over the next decade to construct a long-promised wall at the United States-Mexico border. That large sum of money would reportedly pay for 316 miles of new fencing as well as reinforcing another 407 miles of barriers that already exist. This proposal arrives in the middle of a battle over budget negotiations that could lead to a government shutdown by Jan. 20 if there is no deal reached. And this specific request has Democratic members of Congress fuming. “President Trump has said he may need a good government shutdown to get his wall. With this demand, he seems to be heading in that direction,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) told The Washington Post.