Civic Register
| 3.28.18

Trump Presses For Pentagon To Pay For Border Wall

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What’s the story?

Having been unable to get either Mexico or Congress to fund the president's proposed border wall, President Trump has now taken to pressing for the Pentagon to cover the costs.

Following his signing of last week’s $1.6 trillion dollar spending bill, which included only $641 million for new barrier construction of fences and levees and a significant increase to the military, the president took to Twitter to advocate for his latest idea:

According to the Washington Post, he also floated the idea to House Speaker Paul Ryan in a meeting at the White House.

Whether or not the military could find the money in their budget, several steps would need to be taken before that could happen.

  • To reappropriate the money in FY2018 would require an act of Congress.

  • To have the money, approximately $25 billion, included in the Pentagon’s FY2019 budget would require a budget amendment. That amendment would need to garner 60 votes in the Senate.

Between Democrats and Republican defense hawks protective of the recent boost in military spending to fund equipment and pay raises for the troops, the president is unlikely to have the votes for either.

What do you think?

Should the Pentagon fund the border wall as a matter of "national security", even if it means not funding other military priorities? If neither Congress nor the Pentagon backs this most recent idea for funding the border wall, should the idea be scrapped?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection via Flickr / Creative Commons)