House Ag Chair Calls for Congress to Approve Wall Funding

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) on Tuesday called for Congress to end the government shutdown and provide the funding President Donald Trump is demanding for a border wall.

“So I’m in the room with the other leadership, and I told them you guys are making a mistake; give Trump the money,” Peterson told KFGO radio’s Joel Heitkamp. “Give him the whole thing that he wants and put strings on it so that you make sure he puts the wall where it needs to be.”

Peterson voiced frustration as the government shutdown moved into its second month.

“There’s a way out of this, but both sides have taken these ridiculous positions. We’ve wasted money on things worse than the wall,” Peterson told KFGO. “And I’m not against the wall. There’s places where it’s needed.”

Peterson pointed to the need to strengthen port inspections to curb illegal imports of drugs and illegal immigrants. He also highlighted the need to end payroll uncertainty for 800,000 government workers either furloughed or working without a paycheck during the shutdown.

Peterson’s remarks are the first cracks in what has been a unified front from Democrats in the House against providing the $5.7 billion President Trump has demanded for border wall construction.

This article was first published on https://www.fjfnews.com.