Republican Rep. changes his mind about Trump's border wall after Hurricane Harvey

A House representative and an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump's border wall said that contractors who would be building the wall would be better put to use rebuilding Houston after the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) made the comments to Carol Costello on CNN Friday.

"Well let me ask you that question then, your priority sir, would it be the wall?" Costello asked.

"Of course not," Farenthold responded, "the humanitarian aid, and getting people back on their feet and saving lives is always got to be the top priority, followed by defending this country and supporting the military."

"So should the president put aside his plans to build the wall and fund it for now?" she replied.

"Again, I think, we," Farenthold stumbled before continuing definitively. "Yes, there is a simple answer to that question is yes."

"There's enough going on in Texas," he added, "the contractors that might be building the wall would certainly be better served helping rebuild Houston."

“Contractors that might be building the wall would be better served helping rebuild Houston.” says Rep. @Farenthold pic.twitter.com/EKIuKe8nyo

— Carol Costello (@CarolHLN) September 1, 2017

Trump's promise of a border wall to keep out illegal aliens attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico was a constant refrain during the 2016 presidential campaign. Some have begun doubting that it's going to happen, given that even some lawmakers in the Republican party have called it wasteful and inefficient.

Farenthold recently made news when he said that he wished he could "duel" lawmakers who voted against the Obamacare repeal and replace bill, but lamented that they were women from the northeast. He also had to apologize for commenting on MSNBC that he would still consider supporting Trump even if he said he enjoyed raping women.

In July, Farenthold signed a letter with 16 other Republican members of Congress demanding of the GOP leadership that they go forward with funding for the border wall. But he admitted that it was likely to be a "virtual wall," instead of a solid physical one.

“You can buy a predator drone for what two miles of wall costs,” he said.