WASHINGTON DC – Neither of Illinois' two US Senators are expected to support President Trump's efforts to provide $5 billion for the border wall – a vote that will need every one of the 51 Republican votes and nine Democrats in order to reach the 60 needed votes for cloture Friday. If the US Senate rejects the US House wall funding proposal, a portion of the federal government will shut down at midnight.
Last week, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the $5 billion President Trump wants for the border wall was "wasteful," and a "medieval solution" to reinforce the nation's border.
"President Trump says we have to shut down our government if he doesn’t get $5 billion for a wasteful and ineffective wall. We need modern technology to stop the drug cartels from importing the poison killing our kids, not a medieval solution like a wall from sea to shining sea," Durbin wrote on his Twitter Feed.
But Durbin wasn't always against a border wall between Mexico and the United States.
In 2013, All 54 Democrats in the US Senate – including Durbin – voted to pass the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, And Immigration Modernization Act. (S. 744, Roll Call Vote #168: Passed 68-32: R 14-32; D 52-0; I 1-0, 6/27/13).
- The Bill Required The Completion “700 Miles Of Pedestrian Fencing Along The Border.” “Completing 700 miles of pedestrian fencing along the border, which would require approximately 350 new miles of fencing.” (“Immigration Bill Summary,” The Associated Press, 6/28/13)
- The Bill Was Designed “To Achieve 100 Percent Surveillance Of The Border With Mexico.” “The border security improvements are designed to achieve 100 percent surveillance of the border with Mexico and ensure that 90 percent of would-be crossers are caught or turned back.” (“Immigration Bill Summary,” The Associated Press, 6/28/13)
- The Bill Called For “A 90 Percent Effectiveness Rate And Continuous Surveillance On The Border” Within Five Years. “If the goals of a 90 percent effectiveness rate and continuous surveillance on the border are not met within five years, a Southern Border Security Commission made up of border-state governors and others would determine how to achieve them.” (“Immigration Bill Summary,” The Associated Press, 6/28/13)
- The Bill Allocated Approximately $46 Billion For Border Security. “Border security spending in the bill totals around $46 billion.” (“Immigration Bill Summary,” The Associated Press, 6/28/13)
But the animosity towards President Trump is a key factor in why Durbin nor Illinois' junior senator Tammy Duckworth (IL-D) is expected to stand firm in opposition to the $5.7 billion budget line item.
Five years ago on Meet the Press, Durbin said “I’ll just put it on the line. I’ve been involved with the eight senators who have put this bill together, Democrats and Republicans. The worst thing we can do is nothing. If we do nothing, leaving 11 million people in the shadows, not making our border safer, not having the information that comes from employment and these visa holders, we will be less safe in America.” (MSNBC’s “Meet The Press,” 4/21/13)
What a difference five years can make.
