A majority of U.S. voters have indicated that President Trump’s border wall with Mexico would not be worth a government shutdown.
A majority of U.S. voters have indicated that President Trump’s border wall with Mexico would not be worth a government shutdown.
Politico is reporting, based on its poll of more than 2,000 registered voters with Morning Consult, that “Sixty-one percent of...voters say funding a wall along the nation’s southern border is ‘not important enough to prompt a shutdown.’”
Broader security, meanwhile, appears to be a higher priority, with the piece noting that “a plurality of those polled say fighting for increased funding for defense and homeland security would be worth risking a shutdown.”
The survey was conducted between April 20 and 24.
According to the New York Times, lawmakers have expressed optimism that a budget could be passed to avert a shutdown, particularly since Trump is no longer insisting that money for the wall be included in the spending bill.
Nevertheless, Trump is remaining steadfast about his border project, tweeting on Tuesday, “Don't let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the WALL. It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking etc.”
During a White House press briefing the same day, press secretary Sean Spicer said about the wall, “I don’t think anything has changed.”
He then added, “I think the President has been very clear that he wants a wall; he wants it done as soon as we can do it. There are things that we need to do to protect our country -- like human trafficking, the flow of illegal drugs and gangs -- that are going to make sure that while we've achieved a significant drop in illegal alien border crossings -- down 61 percent since January -- that this is something that's in our country's long-term national security interest.”