Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) on Friday defended President Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall to reach a deal to fund the government, blasting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) for equivocating on border security.
Hawley, the youngest member of the Senate, appeared on Fox News and immediately answered questions about how to get a deal to end the partial government shutdown. Hawley said he does not want to agree to "anything that does not include funding for a border wall," adding that his voters have prioritized securing the border.
When anchor Brian Kilmeade played a video of Schumer saying he’d support "fencing" but not a "wall," Hawley chastised the minority leader for equivocating.
"This is all about pure politics. The people of this country sent a message in 2016, 2018: they want results," Hawley said. "They want the border secure. They want folks to actually get something done in Washington, and now you have the Democrats saying ‘we won't even come to the table.’ You can see it in Senator Schumer's response—it’s the ever-shifting goal posts."
Hawley went on to accuse Democrats generally of stonewalling a deal to reopen the entire federal government.
"The president said, ‘Let's make a deal. Let's meet together. We have got to get border security,’" Hawley said. "You have the Democrats saying, ‘No, we don't want to.’ The people of this country elected us to work. It is time the Democrats got to work. Stop with the partisanship. Stop focusing on 2020."
Hawley expanded on the 2020 criticism, arguing Democrats eyes were already on the presidential election rather than on governing.
"Everybody around here is focused on 2020, the Democrats running for president. They need to do their jobs right now," Hawley said.
Hawley also named his committee assignments and emphasized the work he has to do on the judiciary committee.
"I’m on judiciary and armed services, homeland security, and I'm looking forward to serving. There is a tremendous amount of work to do," he said.
"We talk about putting pro-Constitution judges on the bench," he said. "I hope we can make a lot of progress on that starting ASAP."
Trump has requested $5 billion in border wall funding be a part of any deal, but he has also expressed a willingness to negotiate about the form of the wall and even the amount of funding. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, said Thursday "a wall is an immorality" and appears intent on stonewalling any funding for it. Others in her caucus, such as Rep. Jackie Speier (Calif.), have said they would consider funding a wall in exchange for Democratic priorities, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.