Pentagon Requests $1B to Fund Trump’s Border Wall - Do You Support the Request?

What’s the story?

• The Department of Defense had planned to shift $1 billion from a military personnel account to build 57-mile of fencing along the southern border. A House committee on Tuesday denied the request.
• "Given a legal order from the commander in chief, we are executing on that order," said Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, referring to President Donald Trump’s emergency order to build a wall on the border.

What are people saying?

• The Pentagon said the funds were freed up after various service branches fell short of their recruiting goals and the shift would not interfere with military readiness.

"Military construction on the border will not come at the expense of our people, our readiness, or our modernization," Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan told the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

• "I appreciate the inherent intragovernment complexities of the southwest border situation" Shanahan said in his opening statement. "I also want to emphasize: The funds requested for the border barrier amount to less than 1 percent of the National Defense top line." 
• Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) ultimately denied the request.
• “The committee does not approve the proposed use of Department of Defense funds to construct additional barriers and roads or install lighting in the vicinity of the United States border,” Smith wrote to David Norquist, chief financial officer for the department.

“DoD is attempting to circumvent Congress and the American people’s opposition,” Smith added.

What do you think?

Should Congress authorize the Pentagon to divert funds to a border wall? More requests are likely coming from the DoD, so take action above and tell your reps then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / ElFlacodelNorte)