GOP lawmakers in 2 states want to spend state funds on Trump's border wall

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

(CNN) — A Republican Montana state senator and Republican delegates from West Virginia plan to introduce measures to allocate state funds to help build President Donald Trump's proposed wall along the southern US border.

Republican Montana state Sen. Scott Sales confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that he will propose a bill that would allocate $8 million in state funds to help build Trump's border wall.

The proposals come as the President and lawmakers remain locked in a standoff over Trump's demand that Congress allocate $5.7 billion to build a wall at the US-Mexico border. On Saturday, the partial government shutdown broke the record to become the longest government shutdown in US history -- with no end in sight.

"Border security should be something that's on the forefront of all legislatures whether they're state or federal," Sales told CNN in an interview. "Even a state like Montana, with a small population and being a long ways from the southern border, we'd be remiss to think there aren't impacts to the state by illegal immigration."

-snip-

By Kate Sullivan, CNN
Updated 0134 GMT (0934 HKT) January 16, 2019


Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/15/politics/gop-state-lawmakers-trump-border-wall/index.html

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Source: The Hill

West Virginia Republicans unveil plan to give $10M for Trump's wall

BY JUSTIN WISE - 01/15/19 08:03 PM EST

Three Republican lawmakers in the West Virginia House of Delegates are proposing that the state put $10 million toward President Trump's long-sought border wall.

Dels. Caleb Hanna, Patrick Martin and Carl Martin announced the proposal on Tuesday, saying that $10 million from the state's nearly $200 million surplus could assist Trump's efforts to construct a wall along the southern border.

“West Virginians support our President and the wall,” Martin said in the news release. “They’re sick of seeing Washington politicians sit on their hands while drugs and criminals pour over our border. It’s time for the states to stand up and do what they can to support our President in his fight to protect innocent Americans.”

Hanna previewed the formal announcement while appearing on "Fox & Friends" Tuesday morning. He said in a statement afterwards that the scheme is "is no different than sending our National Guard to the border or overseas to protect U.S. interests."

-snip-

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/425546-west-virginia-gop-state-lawmakers-propose-diverting-10-million-to-help

[SunSeeker]

1. They don't even border Mexico!

[highplainsdem]

2. They can kiss Trump's ass if they want, but they shouldn't do it with their constituents' money.

And these idiotic gestures of theirs are nothing but legislative ass-kissing.

[ancianita]

16. I hope their constituents vote their asses out. Appeasement is a mug's game.

[winstars]

3. God bless this fucking idiots. I think I have some spare change in my brown slacks for them...

at least .45 cents, maybe a bit more...


ASSHOLES!!!

[lambchopp59]

4. Just imagining how many people 18 million dollars could feed, house, employ

Aside from how 5.8 Billion could go so very, very much further to solve real issues that drive the hopeless to drugs to begin with... jus' sayin'.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. +1000!

Everytime I hear a huge number like this, whether it's campaign donations or any unnecessary government expense, that's my very first thought, too...

[sakabatou]

5. *facepalm*

[GulfCoast66]

6. Good for them... not like the have a problem with opioids,

Or poverty, or lack of good jobs. Just send your peoples money to Arizona or New Mexico.

[jmowreader]

33. Or, in Montana's case, snow removal

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Maybe Trump can pay West Virginia back by making the wall out of coal

[Ford_Prefect]

8. Sen. Sales is a Trumpian fool who would sell the whole state to line his own pockets,

because he thinks he owns the license to do just that. He is more bent than a paperclip and owned by Dark Money interests (Mining and Extraction Industry along with NRA). He's the Republican model of a really bad movie villain and he's gleefully leading the state senate into disaster. He envisions himself a candidate for national office or even a Cabinet position. Scum like him give coyotes a bad name.

He'd spend the whole state budget on the wall and leave retired veterans and teachers without funds the state has promised them.

Gov. Steve Bullock said he respects Sales, but "I don't know that he has ever strongly advocated for or supported infrastructure investments in Montana, so it's a little bit of a puzzle for me why he would even consider spending taxpayer dollars on construction projects in California."

Bullock, who said $8 million would go a long way to fund health care or infrastructure work in Montana, declined to say whether he'd veto the bill if it landed on his desk.

**********************

House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner, a Democrat, said the Legislature should focus its spending on Montana's roads, building, water and sewer projects.

"That's a lot of school roofs and boilers," added Democratic Rep. Laurie Bishop.

Montana, where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 20 points, shares a 545-mile (877-kilometer) border with Canada, where there is no wall.

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2019/01/10/montana-republican-proposes-state-give-8-million-border-wall-donald-trump-scott-sales-legislature/2537324002/

[Tanuki]

9. Doesn't seem like a popular move--check out the comments

Link to tweet

[KWR65]

10. LOL Montana Tax payers Want to pay for a wall along the Mexico Border?! NOT!!

[EarthFirst]

11. What part of you cannot just grab cash from wherever you want...

...and reallocate it wherever the fuck you want do they not understand?

[DRoseDARs]

15. Are there any provisions in either the US or their state constutions that allow for this? I doubt it

I wish I could say they were doing this for just the optics and soundbites, but more likely they think it's actually a doable thing and are too stupid and ignorant to know it isn't.

[MadLinguist]

12. One can't help but notice that neither W. Va nor Montana are border states

Geographically speaking, you muther fuqqers ain't got a leg to stand on.
Now buy yourselves a nice big mug of STFU.

[shanny]

13. One wonders how their constituents (all of them) feel about that.

But seriously, MONTANA????!!? Are they aware that they have a porous border on their northern side? Are they aware they can't look much stupider/more bigoted? Are they aware people can hear them?

These are all rhetorical questions.

[Liberty Belle]

14. Unlke Congress, many state legislators can be recalled.

I suggest voters in these states get busy to replace these morons if their state constitutions allow it.

These states are far away from the border and no doubt taxpayers there would have other priorities, especially in West Virginia, a state with high poverty rates.

[Nitram]

17. Montana and West Virginia? I understand West Virginia's obsession with coal, but really?

[Canoe52]

18. Wow 1% of a billion, why are repugs so bad at the maths?

[C Moon]

19. More traitors playing in Putin's evil game.

[amcgrath]

20. I don't know if I should mention this ?

But the entire northern border of Montana adjoins a different country ?

[watoos]

22. Why don't they just give the money to Putin?

Trump is hurting and needs Putin's help.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

23. Even if the GOP states bound together and came up with the $5 bn, Trump would say "No!"

This isn't about getting the money to build the wall, it's about Trump proving his dominance over the House Democrats. It's a zero sum game. It's not just important that he wins; the Dems have to lose -- and lose big. It's not about the fucking wall anymore, it's about Trump's ego, and his willingness to throw the entire country under the bus to build it up.

Fucking Putin puppet.

[rickyhall]

24. If the repugs run out of voters it's all good.

[modrepub]

25. If You Want To Pay

Then make sure you're paying your state's proper percentage of the cost. Don't pretend that chipping in a few bucks towards and expensive item like this wall makes any type of statement of caring. And while you're at it make sure you pledge future allotments of money for its maintenance.

[madaboutharry]

26. Trump world is a cult.

[Snellius]

27. That's not enough for a down payment on one of the steel poles.

Just a political stunt.

[Bengus81]

28. Whew..safe in Kansas. Former Rep Gov Brokeback DESTROYED our State funds......

to the point it will take YEARS to have a surplus,let alone give it away on some crackpot bullshit like this......

[Vinca]

29. I'd bet anything if you checked the Republican-owned farms in Montana, you'd find

the people they want to keep out. As for West Virginia, the idea the government would want to waste money on Trump's monument is outrageous. It's not like they don't have a job crisis, drug crisis and health crisis in the state.

[Maxheader]

30. I think they both have agriculture..

and bets are there are migrants working the fields...

[beachbum bob]

31. West Virginia is #5 and Montana is #19th on states MOST dependent on Federal tax monies,

perhaps we need to cut back those funds as it seems they have plenty to waste on "The Wall" effort

[C_U_L8R]

32. The apparent epicenter of dumb people

Build a wall around them and call it a day. The country’s IQ would rise enormously.