Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) said Thursday that he will "gladly" work with President Donald Trump on immigration policy "when his ideas aren't stupid."
Gallego made the comment on CNN after the network played a clip from Wednesday's White House press briefing, during which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about Gallego's concerns over the cost of sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I don't think you can put a cost on American life. The president sees securing the border as a national security issue and protecting Americans," Sanders said. "If that congressman is so concerned, maybe he ought to show up and support legislation that would fix these problems instead of blaming the president, who is actually trying to do something about it."
"What's your response?" CNN's Erica Hill asked Gallego.
"Well, I'll gladly work with the president when his ideas aren't stupid and detrimental to the United States," Gallego said. "Unfortunately, this is what this plan is."
The congressman described Trump's plan to deploy National Guard troops to the southern border to security it unplanned and wasteful.
"It was not planned out," he said. "It's using our National Guard troops, who are greatly trained. You're going to pull them out of their private lives to essentially go and try to solve a political problem."
Gallego then described what he called a "failing presidency" that is throwing "red meat" at Trump's base by sending troops to the border.