Freedom Caucus says it will support Trump if he vetoes stopgap bill

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus said they would back President Trump if he opted to veto the continuing resolution needed to avert a government shutdown if the stopgap bill doesn’t provide his requested $5 billion for a wall along the southern border.

During special order speeches on the floor Wednesday evening, conservatives argued it could be their last chance to obtain the levels of funding they say is necessary to secure the border before Democrats take back the majority in the lower chamber next month.

{mosads}“Mr. President, we’re going to back you up if you veto this — back you up,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said. “If you veto this bill, we’ll be there, more importantly, the American people will be there. They’ll be there to support you. Let’s build the wall and make sure we do our job in Congress.

The push comes as lawmakers are expected to vote on a stop-gap measure keeping the government funded through Feb. 8 in the coming days. If the measure passes both chambers, it will come as a win for Democrats days after the president vowed not to sign legislation that didn’t provide the funding.

“The president, many, many months ago said he would not sign another funding bill unless we gave him wall funding. What did this House do?” Meadows said. “It passed the bill to fund the Department of Defense and passed a short-term C.R. And said we are going to have that fight after the mid-terms.”

Addressing retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Meadows said Freedom Caucus members were “ready to fight.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is after the mid-terms and we are here with a number of my colleagues to say we are ready to fight on behalf of all the freedom-loving Americans to make sure we have secure borders and that never again do we have to worry about terrorists and drug traffickers coming across our southern borders,” he added.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) noted the House has punted the border wall fight multiple times during the 115th Congress.

“Everyone knows the old line. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. But we’re going to have to change that line — we’re to need a new one,” he said. “The new line should be Fool the American people four times, shame on Congress.”

The group has been a staunch advocate for the border wall and for closing what they say are asylum loopholes.