Republicans want details before funding Trump’s wall

Washington, March 17 (IANS) US Republican leaders in Congress want more details from President Donald Trump about his proposed wall along the Mexican border before approving funds for the project, a media report said.

They have questions about the design and how the administration would handle the rights of property owners whose land would be used to build the structure, The Hill magazine said on Thursday.

"What I'd like to see is a plan that we know is going to be implemented that's going to be effective before we start writing the check," said Texas Senate Republican John Cornyn.

Cornyn said the administration needs to spell out "a layered approach" of "infrastructure, technology and personnel".

Cornyn and House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, who has jurisdiction over the wall, are in negotiations with the Trump administration to figure out precisely what they have in mind.

"We'd like to see what the plan is before we write a big check," McCaul told The Hill magazine.

"We're in current discussions with the administration. What is it going to look like, how much is it going to cost and how are you paying for this thing?"

Asked if he has received enough information from the administration, McCaul described the talks as "a work in progress".

Trump's budget submitted to Capitol Hill on Thursday requests an initial installment of $4.1 billion for the wall, which Republican leaders initially estimated would cost $12 billion to $15 billion.

The total final price tag for the project could run to more than $20 billion, according to other experts.