Thread by @SenBillCassidy

I voted for President Trump’s proposal to re-open government, put 800,000 federal employees back to work, and secure our border. President Trump has made multiple offers to Democrats. I hope they will soon negotiate. cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press…

An increasing number of Democrats in Congress say they are willing to support physical barriers on the southern border:

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA): “I know we’re going to have to add additional border security…. We’ve got about 700 miles of existing fencing. Where folks say we need additional barrier protections, I’m all for it.” (1/23/2019)

Senator Angus King (I-ME): “Everybody is for border security. The question is, let's do it in a rational, economic, sensible way. There are places where wall makes sense …” (1/07/2019)

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE): “I personally don't think that a border wall is in and of itself immoral.” (1/13/2019)

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE): “I am a huge advocate of border security. I think fencing makes sense in a lot of places. We have hundreds of miles of fencing, and in a lot of places, fences alongside roads make sense.” (1/15/2019)

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD): “Certainly, you need barriers. And we support barriers.” (1/04/2019)

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR): “Some fencing is useful. Some barriers are useful.” (1/07/2019)

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV): “I voted to fund President Trump’s wall. Check the vote.” (6/14/2018)

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD): “Look, I think physical barriers are part of the solution. … If it’s protecting people, it’s moral. … So we’re for border security and I think we can get there.”
(1/22/2019)

Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA): “He’s not talking about a wall from sea to shining sea. That is not what we are talking about. We are talking about physical barriers as recommended by experts.” (1/23/2019)

Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN): “Give Trump the money. … I’d give him the whole thing … and put strings on it so you make sure he puts the wall where it needs to be. Why are we fighting over this? We’re going to build that wall anyway, at some time.” (1/22/2019)

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI): “You would be surprised at the amount of money people are willing to put into border security and it would contain many things. ... If there are places that some kind of barrier should be part of it, then that’s part of it.” (1/24/2019)

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA): “The wall is not in itself a bad idea, it’s just – it’s been done.” (1/06/2019)

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL): “If we have a partial wall, if we have fencing, if we have technology used to keep our borders safe, all of that is fine …” (1/04/2019)

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY): “Some element of a physical barrier, better technology, more border agents are all things I support.” (1/11/2019)

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI): “[A]m I willing to talk about more fencing and more drones and technology and radar and border agents? Absolutely.” (1/19/2019)

Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA): “We know that there’s already fencing and other physical barriers across the border in many different places, but there are gaps... For many of us there’s not really doubt that some kind of physical barrier is necessary.” (1/12/2019)

Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA): “And there are numerous things that need to be done to enhance border security. Certainly, fences and walls are a piece of it…” (12/13/2018)

Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT): “I don’t think a border wall is immoral... There are places where it probably makes sense.” (1/21/2019)

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee: "I would not rule out a wall in certain instances." (1/20/2019)

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO): “There are a lot of ways to accomplish the border security – through drones, through barriers, through a whole variety of things." (1/14/2019)

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): "Increase Border Patrol agents. Increase enforcement of overstay of visas. Increase use of technology and yes fencing where there are vulnerabilities.” (1/4/2019)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): "There are areas along the border where there are currently fences that are put up or barriers that are put up that need to be enhanced." (1/2/2019)

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ): “We are a nation of the rule of law, and we do need some type of barriers... In some places it may be electric, in some places it may be drone, in some it may be an actual wall. But we do need to ensure our security.” (1/20/2019)

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), House Majority Whip: said there could be "secondary barriers" where necessary, including rebuilding existing physical barriers. (1/23/2019)

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA): "I have continually voted to improve border security, including authorizing construction of physical barriers where appropriate." (1/11/2019)

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD): "Certain physical barriers can make sense along the border, and a lot of places you already have that." (1/11/2019)

Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK): "We need to get the government back open again and then let's have a broader conversation that puts everything on the table in terms of border security... That includes smart technology, that includes perhaps in some places a physical barrier."(1/23/2019)

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL): said he's willing to cave on the wall if it means sparing hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients. "If that's their ransom call, I say pay it." (1/22/2019)

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT): [Welch] said it’s important to respond to the immigration crisis in the southwestern U.S., but that proper security comes in different forms, including a physical barrier in some areas, but also “virtual walls” and patrols." (1/8/2019)

Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA): "Or, it might be, a physical barrier, such as a levee or fence if that makes sense in some places."(1/11/2019)

Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY): "I would support some physical structures on the border." (7/20/2018)

Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ): When asked if the congressman would support a bill that reopened the government even if it provided funding for a wall, O’Halleran simply said he has supported funding for sections of a border wall in the past. (1/7/2019)