Rand Paul, Stephen Miller spar over border wall funding

Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, said Wednesday the completion of President Trump’s wall along the southern border can be built for less than the $46.5 billion that the House provided for that purpose in the “big, beautiful bill.”

His push to lower the funding for one of Mr. Trump’s key priorities drew a swift rebuke from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who is accusing Mr. Paul of betraying the president.

Mr. Paul brought up his concerns about the inflated costs of building the wall during a Senate Republican Conference meeting on the budget reconciliation package that will carry the wall funding and other pieces of Mr. Trump’s legislative agenda. 

“There really is, I think, a need to thoroughly vet the request, even if you’re supportive,” he told reporters after the meeting. “And I am supportive of border security, but I’m just not supportive of a blank check.”

As of January, 777 miles of various barrier types have been erected along the Southwest Border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Mr. Paul said there’s roughly 1,000 miles left along the southern border where a physical barrier could still be built.

Until about a week ago, he said CPB had on their website that the border barrier costs $6.5 million per mile to build, which would equate to a total cost of $6.5 billion.

After he started publicly questioning that figure, CPB took it down. Mr. Paul said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week pegged the cost per mile at $12 million.

“That’d be $12 billion [total cost], not $46.5 billion,” he said. 

Mr. Miller, who also serves as Mr. Trump’s homeland security adviser, took to social media to accuse Mr. Paul of trying “to eviscerate the border and deportation provisions of the BBB (that he said he’s voting against).” 

“It’s hard to imagine a greater betrayal of the Americans who elected President Trump,” Mr Miller said.

Mr. Paul has said he will vote against the Senate budget reconciliation package because it is expected to contain a $5 trillion increase in the debt limit, and he’s concerned about greenlighting that much deficit spending.

Mr. Paul said he was pleasantly surprised to find during Wednesday’s meeting that many of his Senate GOP colleagues are open to finding ways to save on the cost of building the wall, given he’s raised the issue publicly before and had little support to date.

“In private, there are quite a few people in there who actually do think we could save some money and are open-minded to it and believe the administration should justify the numbers,” he said. 

Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said senators will ask the Trump administration to provide support for its border security spending figures as they seek to find more savings for the broader package. 

“But Senator Paul’s numbers are just not realistic,” he said.