Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said even though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border was off the table in immigration negotiations, he will “come around” and a wall will be built.
Partial transcript as follows:
CAVUTO: We did want your views on what is going to be done on immigration.
MANCHIN: We’re going to fix it. We have to fix it.
CAVUTO: Chuck Schumer has taken off the table the commitment to funding the wall.
MANCHIN: We’re going to build a wall. Here, that’s all rhetoric. okay? Chuck will make a deal. He will make it happen. nobody wants these children — I don’t have many in my state, so it’s not a pressing issue in the state of West Virginia. But I have a heart and I’m sympathetic —
CAVUTO: But he took the wall off the table.
MANCHIN: He did not.
CAVUTO: He said the funding for that — he’s not —
MANCHIN: Let me we need border security. I’m voting for border security. There’s other democrats that will vote for border security. we have to repair the wall we have, build new wall. we need technology, border agents. we need the mail being scanned for fentanyl.
CAVUTO: So the funding for the wall that he’s done a 180 on, I want to be clear, senator, does that mean he’s left other things open that you just mentioned?
MANCHIN: Yeah, I think it’s all rhetoric right now, the wall. The president has said he wants the wall. First of all, if we didn’t need a wall, I would say well, that’s not right. The experts say we don’t need it. We do need a wall. In certain places we need a wall. The president has acknowledged that. Chuck will come around. He will call it border security. Some will call it a wall, whatever. We’re going to do it. We’re going to do what it takes to security our country. I can assure you. I’m going to vote for that.
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