Cut off cash to agencies that protect us. You can't make this stuff up

Chris Truax, Opinion contributor
Published 5:00 a.m. ET Jan. 3, 2019

With the government shutdown now in its second week, President Donald Trump has doubled down on his demand for a border wall. As Trump explained, “We need Border Security, and as EVERYONE knows, you can’t have Border Security without a Wall. The Drones & Technology are just bells and whistles.” He’s even threatened to shut down the border entirely and close America’s ports of entry with Mexico if his demands aren’t met.

But there is a problem with Trump’s steely-eyed determination to keep the government partially shut down in the name of border security. There is no polite way to put this, but facts are facts and there is no room for debate: If the president really wants to protect our borders, this shutdown is objectively stupid, no ifs, ands or buts.

Only about a quarter of the government is actually feeling the impact of the shutdown because Trump refuses to sign a continuing resolution to keep that portion funded. But the affected agencies include the FBI, which works tirelessly to keep this country safe from terrorist attacks, along with the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol(!) and the Transportation Security Administration. All this in the name of strengthening border security. You couldn’t make this stuff up ...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/01/03/trump-government-shutdown-wall-weakens-fbi-tsa-border-patrol-column/2467376002/