Georgia Democrat Becomes First To Endorse Trump, Credits His Work For Black Community

A Democratic Georgia state representative officially endorsed President Donald Trump, making him the first state-elected Democrat in Georgia to do so. Bucking his party, state Rep. Vernon Jones on Tuesday endorsed Trump for the 2020 presidential election, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Democratic lawmaker not only cited Trump’s efforts to grow the U.S. economy, but also his work to help the African-American community.

“It’s very simple to me. President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign,” Jones said Tuesday. He added: “There are a lot of African-Americans who clearly see and appreciate he’s doing something that’s never been done before. When you look at the unemployment rates among black Americans before the pandemic, they were at historic lows. That’s just a fact.”

The renegade Democrat touts a long history in Georgia politics. Elected in 2016 to the Georgia House of Representatives, Jones represents the state’s 91st House District — a heavily Democratic area with a substantial minority population. He previously served as the CEO of DeKalb, and had served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001. Although he does not represent a swing district, Jones has worked alongside GOP lawmakers in the Georgia Capitol on a number of conservative initiatives. He cosponsored a bill earlier in 2020 that called for a crackdown on those living unlawfully the United States, and he has previously posted positive comments about the president on social media, according to the AJC.

“President Trump is increasing his support in the Black community because people know that it was under his policies that Black Americans achieved such great success before the economy was artificially interrupted,” Jones said in a statement provided by the White House. “Black voters also appreciate the President’s unprecedented funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and his commitment to criminal justice reform.”

Jones said he is not switching parties, but is making the endorsement because he believes Trump is a transformative figure in the White House. “A philosopher once said, ‘One courageous man in the crowd is a majority.’ I’ve got the courage to express my convictions,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “I believe that Donald Trump is the best person to lead this country going forward.”

https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/14/georgia-democrat-black-community-trump-2020/

Border wall construction surpasses 150 miles: CBP

The construction of the wall at the southern border has been continuing despite the shutdown of much of daily life due to the coronavirus – with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcing this week that more than 150 miles of new wall have been built. According to CBP statistics, 156 miles of new primary and secondary border wall system have been constructed since January 2017. Of that, 140 miles of primary and 11 miles of secondary wall replaces old or dilapidated wall. It means that there are a total of 656 miles of primary barriers and 42 miles of secondary barriers at the border when including those built before President Trump took office.

A CBP official told Fox News last month that wall construction schedules have so far not been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Two miles of primary wall and five miles of secondary wall are being installed at sites where there was no previous wall built. This stat is likely to continue to disappoint immigration hawks, who argue that almost the entirety of the border wall is replacing old structure, rather than plugging gaps in the border. Officials have noted that getting permission to build on private land is a lengthy process, but one that is starting to bear fruit, meaning that construction of more wall in places where no structure existed would start to accelerate. Additionally, the administration has pushed back on phrases such as “replacement wall” when it comes to describing the wall structure that is being built over old or dilapidated structures – arguing that new structures are so radically different to count as “new wall.”

Compared with the landing mat barriers in place, that could be easily driven or climbed over, the new 30-foot structures – complete with cameras, anti-climb technology, access roads, lights and other tech – are considerable upgrades. “I use this analogy: when someone builds a new modern smart five-bedroom house in place of a dilapidated run-down shack, you do not call that a replacement house, you call that a new house,” Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said in January.

Much of the fight for the administration has centered on the question of funding – but a series of efforts both in Congress and in the courts to allow the rechanneling of money from the Pentagon have paid off. CBP says that since 2017 it has identified a total of $15 billion to construct a total of 753 miles of border wall system, through a combination of Pentagon and Homeland Security funding, and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund. CBP says that for fiscal 2020, an additional $1.3 billion has been awarded for 69 miles of new wall in the Laredo sector, also in areas where no previous barriers existed. There is another $6.3 billion earmarked from Pentagon counter-narcotics funding for approximately 306 miles, and an additional $3.6 billion from military construction funding for an additional 175 miles of construction.

The administration has set the goal of 450 miles of wall constructed or under construction by the end of the year, as President Trump seeks to go into re-election being able to show that the wall he promised in 2016 is being built.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-wall-construction-150-miles