Defying Congress, Donald Trump plans to renew fight for border wall funding

Trump, who failed to extract even a single extra dollar for his wall during a winter battle that shut down parts of the federal government for a record 35 days, will request $8.6 billion in the annual budget proposal, aides said.

FILE — President Donald Trump receives a briefing about border security at the Rio Grande in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 10, 2019. Trump will ask Congress on March 11 for .6 billion in additional funding to build a wall along the United States border with Mexico. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Written by Peter Baker and Jim Tankersley

President Donald Trump, undaunted by perhaps the most bruising legislative defeat of his tenure, plans to kick off a fresh effort Monday to pressure Congress to pay for a wall along the southwestern border, most likely setting up another showdown with Democrats who have vowed to block his signature project.

Trump, who failed to extract even a single extra dollar for his wall during a winter battle that shut down parts of the federal government for a record 35 days, will request $8.6 billion in the annual budget proposal, aides said. He will also ask Congress for another $3.6 billion to replenish military construction funds he has diverted to begin work on the wall by declaring a national emergency, for a total of $12.2 billion.