Ryan: Building border wall ‘urgent’

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Friday that construction of President Trump’s enormous wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is “urgent” and he’s hopeful Congress approves billions in funding for it by the end of March.

“We see this as a national security priority,” Ryan said during a Politico event. “This is something we need to get on right away. We believe this is urgent.

“We believe this was one of most important promises the president made running for office. It’s a promise he’s going to keep. And it’s a promise we’re going to help him keep.”

{mosads}Trump has insisted both on the campaign trail and as president that Mexico will pay for the estimated $12 billion to $15 billion wall, a position that led to the sudden cancellation of an upcoming meeting between Trump and his Mexican counterpart, Enrique Peña Nieto.

Addressing congressional Republicans at their party retreat in Philadelphia, Trump on Thursday suggested the wall could be paid for by imposing a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico. That concept, known as border adjustment, is taken straight from Ryan and the House GOP’s “Better Way” agenda.

“We’re working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits, increase American exports and will generate revenue from Mexico that will pay for the wall, if we decide to go that route,” Trump told lawmakers in Philadelphia.

The Trump administration, Ryan said, plans to send Congress a supplemental spending request for the wall. But he said that won’t happen until the Senate votes to confirm Trump’s nominee for Office of Management and Budget director, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.).

“I’m hoping within the first quarter we can get this done,” Ryan said.