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President Donald Trump has asked Congress to fund the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall by cutting education, medical research and a few additional programs.
The president proposed cutting the programs by almost $18B, a request experts said Congress is likely to deny, Bloomberg reports. Those requested cuts are on top of cuts already outlined in the president’s budget proposal, which suggests slashing the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget by more than 13% while defunding Energy Star, a move that could cost property owners billions.
California Rep. Ken Calvert, a Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said the proposed education and medical research cuts are highly improbable, particularly because the proposals were brought before the committee late, with Congress set to schedule a spending plan by April 28.
Though the funding aspects of the wall is still unknown, Trump's administration is moving forward with plans to build, with the Department of Homeland Security opening up bidding to contractors interested in taking on the project this month.
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