Republican says Pelosi leads party with ‘iron fist’

A Republican lawmaker accused Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of ruling her party with an “iron fist” during an interview with Hill.TV on Wednesday, saying many Democrats would back President Trump’s border wall but for fear of the Speaker.

“Democrats live under a different rule than the Republicans. Mrs. Pelosi is an iron first,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton.

 “There are 60 or 70 Democrats that have stated publicly — and I’ve talked to some of the others that haven’t — that are in favor of it but are afraid of the leadership and that’s unfortunate,” he said.

Democrats have supported funding for physical barriers along the southern border in the past, but it’s unclear that dozens of Democrats support funding for Trump’s wall.

Both Democrats and Republicans alike supported the 2006 Secure Fence Act, which authorized and partially funded the construction of a 700 mile-long fence along the border.

But instead of building a concrete barrier or what they call a “medieval wall,” Democrats like House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) are now advocating for a “smart wall.” This would incorporate new technologies and beef up security on the southern border.

Even though Trump initially dismissed the idea, the president has indicated that he might support it.

During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump declared that he would get would get a wall built along the U.S.-Mexico border. He also added that the wall would be a “a smart, strategic, see-through steel barrier,” rather than “just a simple concrete wall.”

Congress and President Trump have until Feb. 15 to reach a deal in order to avoid another shutdown. The recent partial government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, marked the longest stalemate in history. 

—Tess Bonn