Mulvaney: DHS ‘can’t actually’ make Mexico pay for border wall | TheHill – The Hill

Incoming White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Sunday acknowledged that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can’t force Mexico to pay for a wall along the southern border.

“Technically, you and I both know that it cannot work exactly like that. … Department of Homeland Security can’t actually spend money from Mexico.  We have to get it from Treasury,” Mulvaney said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

Mick MulvaneyJohn (Mick) Michael MulvaneySunday shows preview: Washington heads into multi-day shutdown Trump digs in on border fight as shutdown stalemate drags on Trump holds working lunch, digs in on border fight amid shutdown MORE: We’re in a “good place” on getting wall built and having Mexico “participate” in border security.@jonkarl: “But none of that is Mexico paying for the wall”

Mulvaney: “Technically, you and I both know that it cannot work exactly like that” https://t.co/JcfRJsTBm9 pic.twitter.com/A3fnJYsi3y

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 23, 2018

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump defends foreign policy decisions amid personnel resignations Sunday shows preview: Washington heads into multi-day shutdown Lawmakers shrug off shutdown drama MORE repeatedly pledged while campaigning for president that he would force Mexico to pay for a wall along the border.

Mulvaney also claimed Sunday, however, that Mexico would essentially pay for the wall through the new trade deal known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). 

“USMCA, which is so much better for us than the NAFTA deal that American workers are going to do better, the government is going to do better and you could make the argument that Mexico is paying for it in that fashion,” he said. 

The federal government entered a partial shutdown on Saturday after lawmakers could not agree to Trump’s demand for $5 billion in funding for the wall.

The White House previously signaled that Trump would sign a bill that didn’t include that funding, but the president reversed course late last week, leading to the shutdown.