Graham backs Trump’s border wall demand: ‘Dig in!’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of President Trump’s most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, endorsed the White House demand for $5 billion in border wall funding in order to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday at midnight.

“It’s right to fight for wall funding. The House-passed bill is reasonable. Let’s Dig in!” Graham tweeted, referring to the House measure that includes $5.7 billion in wall funding. That legislation is unlikely to pass the Senate.

It’s right to fight for wall funding.

The House-passed bill is reasonable.

Let’s Dig in!

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 21, 2018

The South Carolina Republican was echoing remarks he made earlier this month.

{mosads}“He needs to dig in and get the very Democrats who voted for $25 billion to give him $5 [billion] because we need the money now more than ever,” Graham said this month, referring to a February deal that fell through that would have provided $25 billion for border security, including the wall, in exchange for protections for young immigrants who came to the country illegally as children.

The Senate on Wednesday passed a stopgap funding bill that would avert a shutdown, but Trump said Thursday he would not sign that measure into law since it did not include border wall funding. Democrats have stated that border wall funding is a nonstarter.