WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom to discuss House Republicans’ overwhelming victory to pass President Trump’s full $5.7 billion request for border security and the need for Senate Democrats to stop putting politics over safety and pass this measure to keep our government open and borders secure. With criminals and illegal drugs pouring over the border, the danger of open borders is clear.
Will Senate Democrats choose to put Americans in danger and shutdown the government or stand for keeping America safe?
Click here or on the image above to watch the interview.
On House Republicans defying Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi’s predictions and passing wall funding:
“First of all, I think some of those same Democrats that are saying, ‘There is no way they’ll get it passed,’ those were the same people who said there was no way we would get it passed in the House last night.
“There is something really important about the weight of the American people pushing on this issue and President Trump continuing to fight to keep America safe…
“Chuck Schumer voted to have a wall years ago, so this isn’t about whether or not we should keep America safe. Some of those Democrats that you are talking about just don’t want to see President Trump get a win.
“The American people see through this. They want a secure border. They elected President Trump in large part because of his promise to keep this country safe. Let’s follow through on it. Let’s see them put the votes up or at least start negotiating. Last night with the huge vote we put up 217 to 185 in the house, we gave President Trump tremendous leverage in this negotiation to keep America safe.”
On the provisions included in the House bill for border security:
“What President Trump has said, is that in the next year he needs about $5 billion to build the wall, to use technology and other things.
“One of the things you have to look at that we put in our bill yesterday are the prohibitions-in-law today that tell the President where he can and can’t build the wall. They tell the President, in law, what he can and can’t use to build the wall.
“President Trump knows there are more efficient ways to build an even stronger wall that would cost a lot less money. Ironically, in a bizarre Washington twist, he is blocked in law from using those smarter, better ways to build the wall. We removed all of those prohibitions, so we let the President build the wall in the best, most cost-effective way for this country, saving billions of dollars as well. All of that was in the bill.
“Let’s now let the Senate and these Democrats in Washington—that used to be for a wall until President Trump wanted it—now let’s start a negotiation where President Trump has real leverage. They walked into the White House last week and said the President won’t get the votes in the House. The President just put up a huge vote on the scoreboard yesterday working with us.”
On the Senate’s negotiations to fund border security:
“Let’s see if they can start negotiating in good faith. I think a lot of those folks in the Senate didn’t want to negotiate because they didn’t think the House would pass this bill, but now we have done that. They are going to have to confront this issue that the rest of the country has already been recognizing Washington needs to confront.
“We have problems at our border. We are a generous nation on immigration, but every day the Department of Homeland Security stops really bad people from coming over, from bringing drugs into our country and from human trafficking. Last year, I.C.E agents saved over 900 kids from human trafficking in this country. Things that are happening at the border. We need to keep it safe.
“Let’s have a real negotiation. Now, President Trump has even more leverage in that negotiation because the House proved we can get it done. Let’s see the Senate figure out every tool they have to get this done as well and get this bill to the President’s desk.”
On choosing to fight for border security despite naysayers:
“…People just said it will be too tough to get it done so they never did it. It is time to finally take that on.
“You have a President who is a builder. Look, President Trump more than anybody knows how to get things done and how to build things.
“There is always going to be somebody standing in your way saying, ‘Well, there is some environmentalist group that will file a lawsuit.’ We usually win those lawsuits, but you have to actually go and take them on. Nobody took them on because they said it will be too tough.
“We’ve got a tough President now, who is saying, ‘I’m going to stand up for this country and keeping America safe.’ This is a fight worth having. We need to have this fight for the future of our country.”
On the potential for a Schumer Shutdown:
“[A shutdown] will be on their backs. While the President has said he wants to get this done, the Democrats are more concerned about who gets blamed for it if it happens.
“They don’t want to give the President a victory, but the President is fighting for America’s national security and securing the border. Something even people that have different feelings on immigration than President Trump, by and large, think we ought to have a secure border and then a legal way to come into this country. Even President Trump has said there is a legal way to come here. Follow the law. Let’s get back to rule of law.”