Cornyn Sees Trump Plan to Extend Border Wall by 60 Miles as Flawed ‘piecemeal' Approach to Security

WASHINGTON — A host of Texas officials in both parties call President Trump's vision of a "big, beautiful wall" along the Southwest border wasteful and impractical.On Wednesday, Sen. John Cornyn opened a new line of criticism after Trump asked Congress for $1.6 billion to expand the wall by 60 miles along the Rio Grande, and replace 14 miles of fencing in California."What I'd like to see is a real plan rather than a piecemeal approach," Cornyn said, calling it a flawed approach to border security to emphasize wall construction without a comprehensive plan. "I don't see the benefit to doing this on a piecemeal basis, and it's harder for Congress to know is this really going to work."At a House hearing on his department's budget request, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly faced tough questions about the funds requested for new wall construction -- in the Rio Grande Valley, 32 miles of border wall and 28 miles of levee wall, plus enough to replace 14 miles of fencing near San Diego.  Continue reading...