Fox News host Sean Hannity slammed a tentative border-wall funding agreement and urged Republicans not to accept the “garbage” compromise.
Late Monday, reports surfaced that congressional Democrats and Republicans had reached an “agreement in principle” on funding for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall.
The deal reportedly includes $1.375 billion for physical barriers and a 17 percent drop in the number of ICE beds, a newfound request of Democrats seeking to control how the agency conducts the business of enforcing the law within our country.
Hannity, who had been airing the President’s Monday night rally in El Paso, Texas, took a moment to interject during the program after hearing about the proposal.
“1.3 billion? That’s not a — not even a wall, a barrier?” Hannity fumed.
Hannity criticizes “garbage compromise” on border wall funding pic.twitter.com/4zHo4tQtFa
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) February 12, 2019
It’s Garbage
“I’m going to tell this tonight and we will get back into this tomorrow,” Hannity continued. “Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain.”
“Look at this crowd. Look at the country. Look at CBS News, even they say 72 percent of the American people want the heroin to stop, the cartels to stop, the gang members to stop, and those that wish us ill.”
“We do not know if the president will sign on. We do know that the co-president doesn’t like it: Sean Hannity called it a garbage compromise.” pic.twitter.com/Wn1QgfNWSC
— Lis Power (@LisPower1) February 12, 2019
The agreement allegedly provides just $1.375 billion, one quarter of what the President deemed necessary to finish construction of the wall, and would allow for the building of only 55 miles of new barriers.
A Way Around It?
“Either way, the wall is going to be funded and it’s going to be built by a president who is unrelenting, tenacious and who will do everything in his power to keep his promise, even if it means declaring a national emergency,” Hannity said during his opening monologue.
Even as lawmakers ponder an extremely watered-down proposal to provide for border security, the White House is planning to divert unspent federal funds to the wall through executive order.
“There’s pots of money where presidents, all presidents, have access to without a national emergency,” acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on “Meet the Press” this past Sunday.
Officials are warning that a national emergency declaration or diverting funds through executive order would result in all kinds of legal challenges from the resistance party.
“It will create a firestorm, once you start taking money that congressmen think is in their districts,” Jim Dyer, a former staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, explained.
Should the President do it anyway?
