GOP rep: Trump is ‘right to have contingency plans’ if border wall talks fail

Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) said Sunday that President Trump is “right to have contingency plans” in place, such as declaring a national emergency, should Congress be unable to strike a deal to fund his promised wall along the southern border.

Graves said on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump has “given Congress time to do their work,” and noted that Democratic leaders previously urged the president to reopen the government so that negotiations on border security could take place.

“That effort has been there,” he said. “And we don’t really see, I guess, something coming to a conclusion here in the next day or so. He’s going to have some plans in place.”

{mosads}Trump triggered a recent 35-day government shutdown with his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats have offered funding for other border security measures, but no money for the wall.

The president agreed to reopen the government until Feb. 15 while a bipartisan group of lawmakers negotiate a deal to fund border security. Some members of the group expressed optimism a deal could be reached by Monday, but negotiations appeared to have stalled.

The president has threatened to declare a national emergency if needed to secure funding for the border wall. Several Republicans have expressed skepticism about such a move, however, which would likely prompt swift legal challenges.

Graves was one of a handful of lawmakers to travel to Camp David this weekend with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney amid ongoing border security negotiations. The congressman said there’s “no reason” for the government to shut down again at the end of the week.

But Mulvaney said Sunday that another shutdown can’t be ruled out.