Representative Mark Sanford of South Carolina said he’s open to the idea of a wall, but said “the devil will be in the details” because the national debt is “the greatest challenge to our country.”
“I am a deficit hawk and I will look very closely at offsets as it relates to border security, infrastructure, defense, you name the subject,” he said.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said it would be “a very dangerous thing, especially for our conservative base,” for Congress to authorize new spending financed by borrowing. “The deficit is just too huge right now.”
The No. 2 Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, said he supports “tactical infrastructure” on the U.S.-Mexico border, such as fencing or a wall, but also insisted that it be paid for.
“We keep spending other people’s money and we’ve got $19 trillion in debt. I’m very concerned about how we pay for stuff like that,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
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