GOP lawmaker unveils bill soliciting private contributions to pay for border wall

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) reintroduced the “Buy a Brick, Build the Wall Act” Thursday which aims to direct the Treasury Department to set up a fund allowing private citizens to make contributions to fund and maintain border walls.

“Millions of Americans agree and want to chip in to help secure our borders,” Davidson tweeted. 

“Buy a Brick, Build the Wall Act” is newly introduced as HR32. It directs @USTreasury to establish a fund allowing private contributions to fund and maintain border walls. Millions of Americans agree and want to chip in to help secure our borders. cc @BrianKolfage pic.twitter.com/FYzIBBW57V

— Warren Davidson (@WarrenDavidson) January 3, 2019

The proposal comes as a GoFundMe campaign to collect private contributions to the border wall has raised over $18 million in the past few weeks. 

{mosads}The bill was initially introduced in November but was reintroduced Thursday as the new 116th Congress began its session. It is unlikely to pass in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives or the Senate, where it would need to break a 60-vote threshold.

Funding for a border wall has been the focal point of negotiations between Democratic Congressional leaders and the White House as a partial government shutdown nears the two-week mark.

Congressional leaders will return to the White House Friday for the second meeting this week to work out a deal, but negotiations thus far have proven fruitless. 

President Trump has demanded that more than $5 billion for a border wall be included in any spending legislation to reopen the government. Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this week the Democrats would offer “nothing for the wall.”

Trump made a press appearance Thursday at the White House to double down on his stance on border wall funding, appearing with members of the union representing border agents, who praised the president’s steadfastness. 

Approximately 25 percent of the government shut down on Dec. 22, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice, Interior and State. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have either been furloughed or forced to work without pay.