NASHVILLE – After criticizing President Donald Trump earlier Sunday on a national news show, retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker resumed an 18-month feud after he was slammed by the president on Twitter.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Corker, a Chattanoogan, said a partial government shutdown that began over the weekend was avoidable. He added that Trump could have gotten $25 billion for border security “just by dealing with the Dreamers,” the issue over the legal status of undocumented student and immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
“This is a made-up fight so the president can look like he’s fighting,” said Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who departs Congress on Jan. 3.
Calling the situation a “purposely contrived fight,” Corker said the United States’ borders will be unsecured “no matter who wins the shutdown fight” and further characterized the entire situation as “juvenile.”
“It’s not just about the money, it’s what we are spending it on,” Corker told host Jake Tapper, pointing to security technology developed by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said the irony is that the fight prompting the shutdown amounts to maybe $2 billion.