Defense Secretary Mark Esper has approved the use of $3.6 billion from military construction funds to build 175 miles of President Trump’s wall along the Mexican border.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper has approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Pentagon officials would not say which 127 projects will affected, but say details will be available Wednesday after members of Congress are notified. They say half the money will come from military projects in the U.S. and the rest will come from projects in other countries. Esper’s decision fuels what has been a persistent controversy between the Trump administration and Congress over immigration policies and the funding of the border wall. And it sets up a difficult debate for lawmakers who refused earlier this year to approve nearly $6 billion for the wall, but now must decide if they will refund the projects that are being used to provide the money.
Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon comptroller, said the now-unfunded projects are not being canceled. Instead, the Pentagon is saying the military projects are being “deferred.” The Defense Department, however, has no guarantee from Congress that any of the money will be replaced, and a number of lawmakers made it clear during the debate earlier this year that they would not fall for budget trickery and sleight of hand to build the wall.
Trump declared a national emergency in February in order to use military construction and other federal funds to build the wall after Congress provided only a portion of the $5.7 billion he wanted.
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