“No matter how many years you spread it over, $5 billion for President Trump’s wasteful wall is too much money,” said Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “While we are willing to negotiate on how best to secure our border, we will never support wasting tax dollars on a wall designed to gin up the Republican base.”

Democratic lawmakers and aides in the Senate also said the plan for $5 billion over two years wouldn’t fly.

“He’s asking the taxpayers to give him money . . . for something when he gave his solemn word that taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay, the Mexicans would pay, and has threatened to shut down the government in I guess an attempt to bail out the Mexicans from his promise,” said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It doesn’t make much sense.”