A Wisconsin congressman has introduced legislation that would allow people to help fund a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman introduced the People’s Border Wall Fund Act on Friday.
“For too long, illegal drugs, guns and criminals have poured over our unsecure Southern border,” the 6th District Republican said in a release.
According to the release, the act would create a trust fund within the Department of the Treasury. The fund would allow public donations to be used to plan, design, construct and maintain a wall between the United States and Mexico.
“Concerned Wisconsinites frequently ask me if there is a way they can personally contribute to the funding of a border wall. As it stands now, there isn’t. That’s why I am proud to answer the call of Wisconsinites in the Sixth District and introduce this bill that will fulfill their request to strengthen national security,” Grothman said.
A campaign on GoFundMe.com, an online crowdfunding platform, has raised nearly $19 million as of Friday afternoon to help raise money to build a border wall. It was created by Brian Kolfage, a veteran from Florida, and has more than 313,000 backers.
The bill was introduced on day 14 of a partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump is demanding funding for a border wall in a spending bill.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills Thursday night that would reopen the government. The bills provided money for border security but did not fund a wall. According to CBS News, Trump has promised to veto those bills. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, does not plan to vote on any spending bill in the Senate unless it is one the president supports.
