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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on December 17, 2018 in a blog post: Says Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2014 \"helped put together and signed a $25 billion deal to fund a border wall\" and now opposes Trump\'s $5 billion request for a border wall \"just because he\'s a Republican.\" ​ ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Immigration * Homeland Security * Facebook Fact-checks * Bloggers ![\\"John](\\" By John Kruzel December 20, 2018 # Meme mischaracterizes Chuck Schumer\'s record on border security funding A meme gaining traction on social media claims Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., supported a border wall deal during Barack Obama’s presidency but then flip- flopped once President Donald Trump took the White House. The post contains a photo of Schumer and a mock first-person confession revealing the Senate minority leader’s partisan reason for the apparent policy pivot. \"In 2014, I helped put together and signed a $25 billion deal to fund a border wall,\" reads the post from a group called The Right View Of Washington State. \"Now, Trump wants $5 billion for a border wall. Well I’m gonna b----, cry, piss and moan just because he’s a Republican and wants it.\" The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The meme is swimming in factual errors and fishy interpretations. No border wall deal in 2014 The post says Schumer helped put together a border wall deal in 2014. That’s wrong — there was no border barrier deal that year. It’s possible the creator of the post was thinking of a 2013 proposal that Schumer shepherded through the Senate. But characterizing the 2013 legislation as a $25 billion deal to fund a \"border wall\" runs into factual hurdles. That proposal, a comprehensive immigration plan Schumer sponsored and voted for, cleared the Senate in 2013. But the Republican-controlled House did not take up that bill after that. (It’s worth noting that presidents, not lawmakers, as the meme suggests, sign bills into law.) The package included more than $46 billion for border security. The vast majority of that money ($30 billion) was for hiring more U.S. Border Patrol agents along the southern border. Around $8 billion would have gone toward building or repairing 700 miles of fencing (including some double-layer fencing) along the U.S.-Mexico border. That’s not $25 billion for a wall, as the meme claimed. Fence vs. wall It would be a stretch to say the fencing Schumer supported in 2013 fits the same description as Trump’s \"impenetrable, physical, tall, power, beautiful southern border wall,\" with \"precasts going up probably 35 to 40 feet in the air.\" #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on August 29, 2024 in a post on Instagram “BREAKING: Illegal Aliens in San Diego, California, tried to hijack 2 school buses filled with children.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • September 4, 2024 Schumer’s office insisted a border fence is very different from Trump’s promised wall. The senator’s office pointed us to a Trump tweet from the election when then-candidate Trump scolded his opponent Jeb Bush for conflating the two. \"Jeb Bush just talked about my border proposal to build a ‘fence.’ \" Trump tweeted. \"It\'s not a fence, Jeb, it\'s a WALL, and there\'s a BIG difference!\" Daniel Yoken, a Schumer spokesman, said, \"Sen. Schumer supported fencing where it makes sense then and still does today.\" Schumer has also argued that border security isn’t limited to a wall, and that there are other, more effective ways to secure the border. The meme claims Schumer opposes a wall \"just because\" Trump is a Republican. One more point to clarify: Schumer in January 2018 said he offered to back funding for Trump’s border wall in exchange for a broader immigration package that included a deal for so-called Dreamers, young immigrants living in the country illegally. Schumer reportedly made a $25 billion offer for the wall during a private meeting with Trump, as lawmakers negotiated a way to avert a government shutdown. Schumer rescinded his offer just a few days after making it, saying it was off the table because Trump rejected the broader immigration package. The New York Times reported that while the White House refused to acknowledge that Schumer made the wall offer, Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle confirmed it. An offer on behalf of Schumer’s part to fund a border wall undermines the meme’s notion that he’s automatically ruled out the wall simply because Trump wants it. Our ruling The Facebook post says Schumer in 2014 \"helped put together and signed a $25 billion deal to fund a border wall\" and now opposes Trump\'s $5 billion request for a border wall \"just because he\'s a Republican.\" There are numerous factual errors here: there was no border barrier deal in 2014. A 2013 legislative package proposed $8 billion for border fencing — not $25 billion for a border wall. More importantly, the border fencing Schumer backed in 2013 is different than how Trump has described his border wall. And the meme glosses over Schumer’s previous support for border wall funding earlier this year, in exchange for protections for Dreamers. We rate this post False. Share the Facts 2019-01-03 14:42:35 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" 2 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" false.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: False Says Sen. Chuck Schumer in 2014 \"helped put together and signed a $25 billion deal to fund a border wall\" and now opposes Trump\'s $5 billion request for a border wall \"just because he\'s a Republican.\" Bloggers Internet ![](\\" in a blog post Thursday, December 20, 2018 2018-12-20 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, The Right View Of Washington State, Dec. 17, 2018 CNN, \"Schumer withdraws offer for border wall,\" Jan. 23, 2018 PolitiFact, \"Fact-checking Trump, Pelosi and Schumer’s White House fight over the border wall, shutdown,\" Dec. 11, 2018 PunditFact, Did Senate pass immigration bills in 2006, 2013 and House failed to vote on them?, Jan. 26, 2018 S.744: Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, 2013 Email interview with Daniel Yoken, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Dec. 19, 2018 New York Times, Border Wall ‘Off the Table,’ Schumer Says, as Immigration Progress Unravels, Jan. 23, 2018 Twitter, @SenSchumer tweet, June 21, 2018 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by John Kruzel ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on July 25, 2019 in a phone call: \"A lot of people are talking about\" the removal of a \"very fair prosecutor\" in Ukraine. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • September 26, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bloggers stated on September 6, 2019 in a Facebook post: Says several well-known charities such as Goodwill and American Red Cross overpay their CEOs and spend a small percentage on helping people. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • September 17, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 12, 2019 in a speech: The United States is \"very energy independent.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • September 13, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sheldon Whitehouse stated on September 6, 2019 in an op-ed: \"One unnamed donor gave $17 million to the Leo-affiliated Judicial Crisis Network to block the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland and to support Gorsuch; then a donor — perhaps the same one — gave another $17 million to prop up Kavanaugh.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • September 11, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Andrew Yang stated on September 4, 2019 in a town hall: The Green New Deal \"would do away with commercial air travel.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • September 6, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" John Delaney stated on August 27, 2019 in an interview: The Amazon rainforest fires are \"directly related to trade\" tensions between the United States and China. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • September 6, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bernie Sanders stated on August 26, 2019 in an Instagram post: \"Last year, South Carolina spent $21,756 per prison inmate and $11,552 per student.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • August 27, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ken Cuccinelli stated on August 22, 2019 in a panel discussion: A federal pilot program to DNA test illegal immigrants showed \"something like 30% (of test subjects) are fake families.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • August 26, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 19, 2019 in a tweet: \"Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election!\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • August 19, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 1, 2019 in a rally: \"The homicide rate in Baltimore is significantly higher than El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala. ... I believe it’s higher than Afghanistan.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • August 2, 2019 ![](\\" CPAC_2/f54f1329272f267379fffcff90466749.JPG\\") ![](\\" CPAC_2/6136851197fac48e57d24a159cda9ff2.JPG\\") Ben Carson stated on July 31, 2019 in a press conference: \"You look at the homelessness situation. Take a city like Tokyo, which has more people than New York City. There\'s no homelessness there.\" ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • August 1, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on May 14, 2019 in a campaign event: The 1994 crime bill \"did not generate mass incarceration.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • May 30, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Anthony Scaramucci stated on May 11, 2019 in an interview: China’s developing country status in the World Trade Organization \"means they can tariff and embargo.\" ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By John Kruzel • May 15, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on May 1, 2019 in a stump speech: \"I’m one of the first guys to introduce a climate change bill, way, way back in ’87.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • May 8, 2019 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on May 1, 2019 in an interview: \"I was always labeled as one of the most liberal members of the United States Congress.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By John Kruzel • May 6, 2019 ### Meme mischaracterizes Chuck Schumer\'s record on border security funding * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 27, 2024 in a video: Shows video of damage from Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 28, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on September 22, 2024 in una publicación enTikTok: En el sur de Filadelfia, la campaña de Kamala Harris “está pagando a la gente $700 por semana para viajar y asistir a todos sus eventos”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 25, 2024 in an Instagram post: Hurricane Helene was the product of intentional weather modification. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a post: Video shows footage of Hurricane Helene ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Vote No on 3 stated on September 7, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s Amendment 3 is “the monopoly amendment.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jared Moskowitz stated on September 19, 2024 in una audiencia en la Cámara de Representantes: “El Proyecto 2025 quiere deshacerse de la NOAA” y del Servicio Nacional de Meteorología. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 24, 2024 in social media posts: Vice President Kamala Harris responded, “Next question please,” when asked about the economy during an Aug. 29 CNN interview. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. 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Says Sen Chuck Schumer in 2014 helped put together and signed a 25 billion deal to fund a border wall and now opposes Trump's 5 billion request for a border wall just because He is a Republican