President Donald Trump insisted on Sunday that the US Congress must find a way to pay for its promised border wall with Mexico.
In a series of tweets, the president also warned Mexico and Canada that if they continue with a “difficult” attitude in the talks, he will have to suspend attempts to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Both positions confront him with US congressmen and neighboring countries, but they strengthen his popularity with his electoral base.
With Mexico being one of the most crime-ridden nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursements or other forms,”
tweeted Trump, amid a series of tweets about Hurricane Harvey and other issues.
This issue will be at the center of the discussions in Congress, which will resume its functions in early September to approve the 2018 budget.
The White House demands that the federal funding law includes funding for the construction of the wall, but Democrats – who oppose and have a blocking minority in the Senate – could become intransigent and force the closure of federal offices for lack of funds.
That scenario would cause hundreds of thousands of federal officials to be laid off, paralyzing many non-essential government services.
The construction of the wall at a border of 3,142 km was a campaign promise from Trump, who as a candidate claimed that Mexico would pay for it, although more recently he said that funds could come from the United States and that the Latin American country would then be forced to repay somehow.