Trump wants his giant wall built along the US-Mexico border, even though there is no rational reason for it. The question remains: if it happens, who is going to pay for it?

What’s going on?

Trump has claimed in the past that the wall will be paid for by Mexico through the assessment of import tariffs and by seizing remittances from Mexican nationals working in the US to their families in Mexico. This is nonsensical, since the first would levy tariffs that Americans would have to pay, and the latter is simply illegal.

But ensuring that American taxpayers don’t foot the bill for such an asinine undertaking is worthwhile. Since it is something Trump promised, it makes sense for the opposition to use it against him. That’s exactly what Representative Gwen Moore, a Democrat from Wisconsin, is proposing in Congress today, via the “No Taxpayer Funding for the Wall Act.”

More than three dozen Democrats are co-sponsoring the bill, and it should be easy for Republicans to sign on since making sure Americans don’t pay for the wall is something everybody should be able to agree on.

Why is it important?

The purpose is not, of course, to actually get the wall built through the use of some other funds. The wall itself is a terrible, unnecessary, pointless boondoggle in the making. But why not turn Trump’s own logic against him? He promises Americans won’t pay for the wall, so let’s make sure they don’t. If that means the wall can’t be built at all, well, that’s how it goes. Defeating the wall by embarrassing Republicans is just another way of impeding Trump’s agenda.

What can I do?

Let your Congressional Representative and Senators know you want them to support the No Taxpayer Funding for the Wall Act, or any measure that would ensure US taxpayers don’t pay for the dreaded wall. If the Congressperson in question is Republican, frame your position in terms of fiscal responsibility. “We have enough problems to deal with without wasting money on a wall, and since Mexico is clearly not going to pay for it, we should give up on it and focus on more important matters.”

For Democrats, the same argument would likely work, but it’s fair to state that you are supporting it in the same cynical spirit in which it was intended.

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