AUSTIN (KXAN) — Republican leaders floated an idea to the President during his Thursday McAllen visit suggesting that Texas lawmakers could spend state tax dollars to fund the Trump Administration’s building of the border wall. 

In a press conference, President Donald Trump mentioned that Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick suggested to him that state government could pay for some physical barriers as the government shutdown continues over border wall funding. 

At an event in downtown Austin, hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, KXAN asked Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz about the idea, which they didn’t rule out as a possibility. Cornyn added that no money earmarked for Hurricane Harvey relief would be used for the border wall. 

“What Governor Patrick talked about is the state stepping up and initially bearing the financial burden to some of these measures given this impasse then have the Federal government reimburse them,” said Cornyn. “That’s a subject that he raised that I think we’ll be talking about some more.” 

In an interview with KENS5 in San Antonio, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, “Talking about reimbursement, the whole problem here is getting money for the wall. But listen, the real problem that we’re grappling with is Texas still has a very porous border and something has to be done about it. Understand the federal government doesn’t have the money to pay for it. So it’s a hypothetical with no conclusion.”

As the partial government shutdown continues, 800,000 people are either working without pay or furloughed. Republicans and Democrats have yet to find a compromise on paying for the border wall.