WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Thursday that Democrats would not support any legislation from Republicans on border security that includes funding for building a wall on the US southern border.<\/b>
\n\u00ab\u00a0There’s not going to be any wall money in the legislation,\u00a0\u00bb Pelosi said. \u00ab\u00a0However, if they have some suggestions about certain localities: technology, some infrastructures like I said about the ports of entry, we might need some more ports of entry. That’s part of the negotiation.\u00a0\u00bb
Pelosi explained that the Democratic lawmakers in the House-Senate Conference Committee on Homeland Security called for a cost-effective way to secure the US border.
She added that the lawmakers have proposed adding a thousand new US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, investing in new imaging technology, funding critical repairs at the land ports of entries and providing new equipment at mail processing facilities to interdict fentanyl and other opioids shipped through international mail.
Democratic lawmakers also urged an expansion of CBP’s air and marina operations along the southern border and US waters, Pelosi said.
Also on Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters that there would be no deal with congressional Democrats if they do not approve funding for a border wall.
The US federal government had been partially shut down since 22 December due to a funding dispute between Trump and congressional Democrats. Trump has asked Congress to authorize $5.7 billion to build a wall along the US border with Mexico, but Democrats have refused to meet the demand.<\/p>\n