Congress is deliberating the President’s budget proposal which includes cuts to the departments of Agriculture, Education, and Transportation. The President’s budget proposal also asks $4.1 billion dollars for a border wall between the US and Mexico. Our Representative, Dave Reichert, supported a similar proposal in 2006, which resulted in funding part of a border fence that was built in 2009.

Pew Research polls show that most Americans oppose a border wall and doubt that “Mexico will pay for it.” Opposition for the current wall proposal comes from even border states such as Texas. A recent Texas Lyceum poll shows that 61 percent of Texans oppose a border wall. In fact, the same poll shows that most Texans believe immigration helps the country more than it hurts us.

Our region’s fruit orchards certainly benefit heavily from immigrant labor. With so much opposition, is a border wall really worth the cost, amid multibillion dollar cuts to education, agriculture, and transportation?

When deliberating this year’s congressional budget, will Dave Reichert represent his district, which heavily relies on immigrant labor? Or will he fall into line with the party to waste billions on needless border infrastructure?

Jakub Bednarek

Leavenworth