BORDER/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Nearly every lawmaker who represents a district or state along the U.S.-Mexico border — including two Republicans — either opposes outright or more quietly declines to support President Donald Trump’s $5.7 billion request for a border wall, according to a survey conducted by POLITICO. That poses an awkward reality for the president as he visits McAllen, Texas, Thursday to receive a briefing on border security. The politicians situated in the heart of a purported immigration crisis don’t agree that spending billions on a border wall — or ‘steel slats,’ as Trump now prefers — will benefit their region. The dissenters include Texas Rep. Will Hurd, the only Republican House member who represents a border district, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who will accompany the president on Thursday [1-10-19]. Cornyn dodged questions Wednesday about whether he backs Trump’s $5.7 billion demand.”
–Ted Hesson and Renuka Rayasam, “Border lawmakers spurn Trump’s wall proposal,” Politico, January 10, 2019 10:45 am