GOP lawmaker lectured by CNN host to do his job and get a budget deal done: 'That's why we pay you'

A GOP lawmaker who attempted to defend Donald Trump's shutdown of the government -- plunging approximately 800,000 federal workers out of work -- was taken to the woodshed by CNN host Poppy Harlow for not getting a budget deal done so people can get paid.

According to Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL ) who sits on the Republican Policy Committee, the hang-up is immigrants who need to be stopped by Trump's wall because he believes they are the source of many of society's ills.

"What I'm saying is that, rather than making this a political argument, I want to make it about the American people," Palmer explained. "We are arresting ten terrorists or suspected terrorists per day trying to get into the country. Not all of them across the southern border, but there are people who want to do us harm."

"Absolutely, that is your job. That's why we pay all of you, right? To get a deal?' Harlow shot back. "And it sounded to me like you were saying that you are willing to negotiate here and it doesn't have to be a 2,000 mile-ish wall."

"You have Republicans, five in the House of your fellow Republicans, including Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) -- hold on second," she continued as he attempted to interrupt. "Who voted with the Democrats yesterday. I think he agrees with you a lot and he wants more border security and he has authored, as you know, bipartisan legislation focussing on border security, specifically more in better technology at the border rather than a physical wall. Is that a deal that you could get on board with?"

"I could," Palmer conceded. "Will is a great member, and he has a background that really, I think, informs his opinion extremely well. And the practical issue here is we're not going to build a wall that walls off the Rio Grande River. This will be a combination of a wall fence technology and surveillance equipment."

You can watch the video below via CNN:

CNN_01-04-2019_palmer from Tom Boggioni on Vimeo.