Trump now suggests U.S. military to pay for border wall
Donald Trump is floating the idea of using the military’s budget to pay for his long-promised border wall with Mexico.
And he has tweeted that building “a great Border Wall” is “all about National Defense” and called to “Build WALL through M!” – Presumably meaning the military.
Trump has told advisers that he was spurned by a large spending bill last week when lawmakers appropriated only $1.6 billion for the border wall. He has suggested to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and congressional leaders that the Pentagon could fund the sprawling project, citing a “national security” risk.
Because of the $700 & $716 Billion Dollars gotten to rebuild our Military, many jobs are created and our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2018
Departments have limited authority to reprogram funds without congressional approval.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected a question Tuesday about money dedicated to the military being used to fund construction of the wall. “I can’t get into the specifics of that at this point, but I can tell you that the continuation of building the wall is ongoing, and we’re going to continue moving forward in that process,” Sanders told reporters.
The Pentagon has plenty of money, but reprogramming it for a wall would require votes in Congress that the president does not seem to have. Taking money from the current 2018 budget for the wall would require an act of Congress, said a senior Pentagon official.
US President Donald Trump inspects border wall prototypes in San Diego, California on March 13, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)To find the money in the 2019 defence budget, Trump would have to submit a budget amendment that would require 60 votes in the Senate, the official said.
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Since taking office, the Trump administration has tried to demand Congress appropriate money for his promised wall, and the Mexican government has steadfastly refused to pay for it. Trump last year said Mexico would pay for it “through reimbursement/other.”
Source: The Chicago Tribune, CNN, Reuters, BBC Shiva Shankar Pandian The Kootneeti Team - White House Watch
