Trump using military funds to build 175 miles of border wall

By Jason Hopkins

The Trump administration is tapping $3.6 billion in military funds to build 175 miles of border wall, the Pentagon confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper authorized the military construction funds for 11 different wall projects on the U.S.-Mexico border. The announcement is the latest move by President Donald Trump after he declared an emergency at the southern border in February, giving him the ability to tap billions more for wall construction.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Border wall prototype

“These projects will deter illegal entry, increase the vanishing time of those illegally crossing the border, and channel migrants to ports of entry. They will reduce the demand for DoD personnel and assets at the locations where the barriers are constructed and allow the redeployment of DoD personnel and assets to other high-traffic areas on the border without barriers,” read Esper’s letter to Congress Tuesday, first obtained by CNN.

Esper also made clear that the administration was not going to allow government red tape to slow down progress.

“Accordingly, I have authorized and directed the Acting Secretary of the Army to undertake these 11 projects expeditiously, and, as authorized by Section 2808, to do so without regard to any other provision of law that may impede the expeditious construction of such projects in response to the national emergency,” the letter continued.

Funding for border wall construction has been a major source of contention between the White House and congressional Democrats. Trump, who campaigned on building a massive wall between Mexico and the U.S., has fought for more money, while Democrats have resisted tooth and nail against the idea.

The fight escalated into the country’s longest government shutdown. The federal shutdown ended in February with Trump and Democrats agreeing on $1.37 billion for wall construction. However, Trump then declared a national emergency, allowing him to use around $8 billion for the wall.

The announcement Tuesday was met with immediate pushback from Democratic lawmakers and progressive groups.

“It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country that [Trump] is willing to cannibalize already allocated military funding to boost his own ego, and for a wall he promised Mexico would pay to build,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted on Tuesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has already sued the administration over past wall construction efforts, immediately announced it will try to block the latest reallocation in court.

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Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security

6 thoughts on “Trump using military funds to build 175 miles of border wall

  1. Last I heard, “defense” means just that. If the wall keeps the bad guys out, that clearly is a legitimate defensive project.

  2. Schumer and his cohorts would rather use the wall money to coddle illegals, instead of protecting the US from infiltration by millions of illiterates, unskilled, uneducated, sickly, useless folks who should be sent, en masse, to where they come from.

  3. Al Pres Trump wants to do to secure our border. He was forced to use defense monies to protect the border (a legitimate use of defense funds). The hate America first demonrats have shown their hand. When the wall is done let’s catapult every hate America demonrat over it and cancel their citizenship.

  4. The democrats, progressives and socialist want to stop the wall and anything else that Trump wants but what are they doing to stop the immigration crisis. NOTHING
    Meanwhile it is costing this country billions in free housing, food, health care etc, all that could be provided to the citizens of this country that truly need the help.
    This does not count the money associated with the crimes that are being committed by the illegals.

  5. Crying Chuck Schumer states “It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces
    who serve our country that [Trump] is willing to cannibalize already allocated military funding
    to boost his own ego, now that’s a real fairy tale.

    The approved 2019 Department of Defense discretionary budget is $686.1 billion and the $3.6
    Billion that the President is using is peanuts ” Crying Chuck ” …….. Needs a Tissue !!

    Build the wall and secure our southern border, nothing the DemocRATs wants as they will lose
    seats in the house ” Power ” it’s all smoke & mirrors.

    Build the Wall & fix the immigration system…..and welcome to America.

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