Trump is more serious than you think about building the border wall

Back in May, the House of Representatives passed a $1.6 billion appropriation to fund President Trump’s promised Mexican border wall. Now, what seems like several dog years later, final funding for the wall became a political pawn after Trump threatened to veto emergency debt-limit legislation unless it is included. There was also talk that funding the wall could become a spoonful of sugar to bring federal relief to hurricane Harvey victims.

But just how serious is the president about building and operating a Mexico-United States barrier? Is he committed to the project, or, as some have wondered, is talking and jockeying about it enough, by itself, to prove to his base that he hasn’t forgotten his promise?