President Donald Trump repeated frequently, during his 2016 presidential campaign, that a wall along the southern border would be constructed to separate Mexico from the United States. He declared that Mexico would pay for the construction, which Mexico has denied from day one. Now, Trump has been privately floating around a new idea. He wants to have the US military fund the construction of the project.

Confirmed on Tuesday, according to CNN, Trump discussed in a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan last week about using the US military budget to pay for the $1.6 billion border wall.

It should be noted that the House Speaker had very little reaction and did not think the project could prosper. President Trump proposed to congressional leaders, such as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, that the Pentagon could fund the project if they cited it as a national security risk.

Trump tweeted, March 5 that “Because of the $700 and $716 Billion Dollars gotten to rebuild our Military, many jobs are created and our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build wall through M!”

In pursuit of trying to uphold a promise he made during his campaign, to finance a US-Mexico border wall, the Trump failed to secure finances.

In threat of a veto, Trump begrudgingly signed the spending bill Friday. Trump expressed that he made a mistake, against his own instincts, signing the agreement to avoid a government shutdown.

The reasoning behind the border wall

Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign was fueled by hateful rhetoric, but the promise of a border wall was an oath which President Trump was passionate about keeping.

During his campaign, Trump spoke vehemently against illegal immigration and proposed a plan on how to end immigrants crossing the border illegally. This was mainly directed towards immigrants coming in from Mexico.

Trump used scare tactics such as referring to gang organizations like the MS 13 and illegal drugs imported from Mexico, to persuade the American population.

During his campaign, he stated, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.” Followed by, “They’re bringing their bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” This struck fear into some American hearts, and he achieved votes on the promise of building a wall that would separate America from Mexico.

Will there be a US-Mexico border wall?

As of right now, Trump’s promise seems to be an empty one. In order to have the proper funding by 2019, Trump would have to submit a budget defense amendment. It would have to require 60 votes in the Senate for approval. Democrats have already made it very clear that they would not vote for the construction of a border wall.