Politics

Democratic Senator Says He Does Not Know A ‘Single Soul’ In Congress Who Does Not Want A Secure Border

[Screenshot/MSNBC]

Benny Johnson Columnist, Viral Politics
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Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana said Tuesday on MSNBC that he does not know a “single soul” in Congress who does not want a secure border.

The GOP is currently in a major fight with congressional Democrats to get the border wall funded and avoid a government shutdown. President Donald Trump has asked for $5 billion to complete the crucial campaign promise of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. House Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi has said publicly that Trump will not get the money he is requesting for the wall.

“Don’t think there’s going to be a shutdown,” Tester told the MSNBC host. “Maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part.” Trump had previously promised a government shutdown over wall funding — a threat that has apparently been walked back by the Trump administration since.

US President Donald Trump inspects border wall prototypes with Chief Patrol Agent Rodney S. Scott in San Diego, California on March 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN

Border security is “critical for the country, ports and borders,” Tester said. “The question becomes how do you do it? Do you do it with a concrete wall Mexico was supposed to pay for and now is on the shoulders of the American taxpayer? Do you it with technology, man power or all of the above? I think the folks here in Congress, particularly the Senate, want to see common sense applied to this equation.” (RELATED: Shutdown Looms As Trump, Democrats Dig Into Border-Wall Funding)

Tester went on to say that he wants a “cost effective way” to secure the border. “I’m not sure a wall is the best way to do that,” Tester complained. “In fact, I know it’s not the best way to do it.’

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Tester recently won a narrow reelection in the deep red state of Montana.