To: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Donald Trump
No taxes for border wall
The border wall is a political tool, that does little to keep us safe or to solve the undocumented worker problem. There are many more effective ways to solve these problems and we, the American taxpayers, do not want our taxes squandered on this project.
Why is this important?
The House of Representatives has voted on a spending bill that includes $1.6 billion for initial construction of the wall. This is only a downpayment on the wall, which is estimated to cost over $20 billion. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall, and the idea of using a border tax on imports from Mexico is dead. In short, American taxpayers will foot the bill. Instead of wasting our money and grandstanding on this issue, the government should enforce and maybe bolster the existing laws against hiring undocumented workers. This would not only cut down on people crossing the border illegally to seek employment, it would also cut down on people who overstay their visas, which a report found represented 66% of undocumented residents. Separately, the government should work on a guest worker program, so farmers and other business who rely on the undocumented workforce can find the employees they need without resorting to illegal activity.