The demand is more than six times what Congress allocated for border projects in each of the past two fiscal years.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Monday will ask the US Congress for an additional $8.6 billion to help pay for the wall he promised to build on the southern border with Mexico to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, officials familiar with his 2020 budget request told Reuters.
The proposal comes on the heels of a bruising battle with Congress over wall funding that resulted in a five-week partial federal government shutdown that ended in January and could touch off a sequel just ahead of a trifecta of ominous fiscal deadlines looming this fall. “It gives the president the ability to say he has fulfilled his commitment to gain operational control of the southwest border,” an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the budget request.
So far, only 179km have been built or are underway, officials said. In fiscal 2017, $341 million in funding was allocated for 64km of wall, and in 2018, another $1.375 billion was directed to 132km. The administration has not estimated how far the 2019 funds will go, but officials said average costs are about $25 million per 1.6km.
Trump will propose an overall five percent increase to the Department of Homeland Security budget over fiscal 2019 appropriations, including $3.3 billion, or 22% more, for Customs and Border Protection, and $1.2 billion more for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a 16% hike, officials said.
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