In a statement issued by the White House on Tuesday, the Trump Administration called for Congress to pass a bill that would include the necessary additional funding for securing the southern border.
READ MORE: Trump to Deliver National Address on Border Security on Tuesday Night
The requested sum would include $5.7 billion for the construction of a new steel barrier that would cover 234 miles of the southern border —an increase of $4.1 billion over the bill which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee; $675 million to detect and deter illegal drugs and provide Non-Intrusive Inspection technology for all incoming vehicle lanes of traffic; $211 million to hire 750 additional Border Patrol agents; and $800 million to fund medical supplies, transport and additional facilities to ensure the well-being of illegal immigrants taken into custody.
The White House statement began with a quote from President Trump, saying “Our Southern Border has long been an “Open Wound,” where drugs, criminals (including human traffickers) and illegals would pour into our Country.”
Border security is the primary sticking point in negotiations between the President and Democrats in Congress to end a partial government shutdown, which has dragged on for 17 days.
The US government has endured a partial shutdown for nearly three weeks after Democratic lawmakers refused to meet President Donald Trump’s demand for $5.6 billion to build a wall along the border with Mexico and provide additional security measures.