USA TODAY
Trump’s transition team has reportedly signaled to Congress that the president-elect’s preference is to fund the border wall through a congressional appropriations process as soon as April, but Trump insists Mexico will pay for the wall, just later.
Mexico’s foreign relations secretary says the country wants to negotiate changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible.
Luis Videgaray said there’s “enormous uncertainty” in the wake of the U.S. election. President-elect Donald Trump has pressured U.S. firms not to move jobs to Mexico, warned he would tax companies who do and wants to renegotiate NAFTA.
Videgaray said in a Radio Formula interview Tuesday that Trump’s actions have caused unease, adding “that is why this (negotiation) process is so important, to dispel this uncertainty.” He said talks should start “as soon as possible,” the Associated Press reported.
Videgaray said Mexico is willing to negotiate Trump’s plan to build a border wall but Mexico won’t pay for it.
In Trump’s latest statements on the border wall with Mexico, he said the U.S. would initially pay for the wall and then be reimbursed at a later date.
“The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!” Trump tweeted Friday.
The proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall was one of Trump’s key campaign pledges. He repeatedly vowed to make Mexico pay for it. His reference to “dishonest media” was related to reports that emerged late Thursday that appeared to suggest the president-elect was trying to modify his vow.
Trump did not specify in his tweet whether his administration would seek to build the wall with taxpayer money, although he suggested in a speech in October that U.S. government funds could initially be used to get the project off the ground.
“I said Mexico is paying for the wall, with the full understanding that the country of Mexico will be reimbursing the United States for the full cost of such a wall, OK?” Trump said at a rally in Gettysburg, Pa. on Oct. 22. “We’re going to have the wall. Mexico is going to pay for the wall.”
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has said his country won’t pay for the wall.
