The best thing President Donald Trump can do to get funding for a border wall would be to reprogram funds rather than declare a national emergency, Sen. James Lankford said Wednesday.
"There are funds allocated to certain law enforcement entities, or to national defense entities, and to say those funds can also be used for border security, that stays within the parameters of the law and we don't have to deal with a court case," the Oklahoma Republican told CNN's "New Day." "Declaring a national emergency, moving one fund to another is going to get caught up in the courts for years and it doesn't solve the problems."
He said he agrees with Trump's assessment that there are problems at the border, and, it is "just not true" that everyone who is crossing the border is coming to the United States to find work.
The senator also said he anticipates agreeing to a funding bill announced earlier this week, but he still needs to get through details to make sure the "paperwork lines up with the rhetoric."
Lankford Wednesday also said he's pushing for the Senate to confirm presidential nominations more quickly.
"The Senate for the last two years has had a bog down on nominations, and what the Senate does for a couple years it will continue to do from there on out," said Lankford. "If we don't get it resolved now, it won't be resolved in 2021. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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