BACK IN D.C.: President Trump Arrives at Joint Base Andrews After Border Visit (FNN)

President Trump on Thursday visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and argued a barrier made of steel would deter human trafficking and drugs, amid stalled negotiations with Democrats over funding the border project and ending the partial government shutdown.

"Where you have a good strong barrier, you don't have problems," the president told reporters during his tour.

Back in Washington, Democrats in the Senate on Thursday failed to proceed with House-passed spending bills that would fund the government and end the partial shutdown without new border wall money. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, blocked that effort, saying it amounts to “pointless show votes.”

During an afternoon briefing with border agents at a patrol station in McAllen, Trump highlighted the prevalence of guns and drugs along the border. The president spoke in front of a table of items border agents have seized, including a rifle, handguns, a plastic bag full of cash and black-taped bricks of heroin and meth.

“If we had a barrier of any kind, a powerful barrier, whether it’s steel or concrete...We would stop it cold,” Trump said of human trafficking.

The president famously promised during the 2016 campaign that Mexico would pay for the border wall. But on Thursday, the president argued Mexico could still contribute to it indirectly, even though he’s demanding $5.7 billion in U.S. taxpayer money to pay for the wall.

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