BORDER/GOP/POLITICS/WALL: “Offering an alternative to President Donald Trump’s vision for a border wall, a top Senate Republican is introducing legislation Thursday [8-3-17] that urges the administration to use technology as well as physical barriers to better guard the southwest border.
The bill from Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, comes as Congress considers whether to provide funding for Mr. Trump’s wall. Last week, the House passed budgetary legislation providing $1.6 billion for construction in 2018, although the provision faces opposition in the Senate from Democrats and some Republicans.
Mr. Cornyn’s bill would face similar obstacles, but its mix of border security measures could garner broader support and perhaps shift debate away from Mr. Trump’s single-minded focus on a wall.
Mr. Cornyn has long backed additional border security spending, but he is also one of several border-state Republicans who have been critical of the notion of an end-to-end border barrier. The border wall was one of Mr. Trump’s signature campaign themes, although the president last month tempered his proposal.
The Cornyn legislation would require a ‘multilayered tactical infrastructure’ across the southern border, which could include a wall, fencing, technology or levees along the Rio Grande, according to a GOP congressional aide familiar with the legislation.
The provisions are similar to those put forward last week by Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.”
-Laura Meckler, “Senior Republicans Push Technology as Part of Border Solution,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 3, 2017 05:30am