Pentagon approves plan to shift $1.5B for wall along US-Mexico border
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Pentagon has approved a plan to spend an additional $1.5 billion to build 80 more miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News Friday.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan approved the re-allocation of funds, which were originally earmarked for support of Afghan security forces and other projects, to help pay for the wall along the southern border.
"Today, I authorized the transfer of $1.5 billion toward the construction of more than 80 miles of border barrier," he said. "The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes, and revised requirements, and therefore will have minimal impact on force readiness."
In March, Shanahan approved the first transfer of Defense Department dollars and redirected $1 billion to help build nearly 60 miles of wall in Yuma, Ariz. and El Paso, Texas.
The combined total of $2.5 billion is in response to President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border.
But the plan to divert Pentagon funding has sparked criticism from congressional Democrats, who accused Shanahan of not seeking approval to “reprogram” the funds without congressional authority. Shanahan and other senior defense officials claimed in response they did not have to get permission from Congress despite the objections from Democratic lawmakers.
Shanahan, who has said he plans to visit the border on Saturday, said that the Pentagon is “fully engaged” in fixing the border crisis. He said that more than 4,000 troops and 19 aircraft are supporting Customs and Border Protection personnel.
The funds are being reprogrammed from the Afghan Security Forces Fund, a project focused on chemical weapons, Air Force programs, savings related to a military retirement system, and coalition support funds. The Pentagon is also expected, at some point, to transfer up to $3.6 billion from military construction budgets to pay for wall construction, but details of those plans have yet to be announced.
The move comes after White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday that the president would officially nominate Shanahan to be the next U.S. secretary of defense. The decision to have Shanahan permanently lead the department “is based upon his outstanding service to the country and his demonstrated ability to lead.”
"Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do so," Sanders said in a statement Thursday.
Shanahan said he was “honored” by Trump’s decision.
“If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy," he said. "I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe.”
Fox News’ Liz Zwirz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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“Shanahan, who has said he plans to visit the border on Saturday, said that the Pentagon is “fully engaged” in fixing the border crisis. He said that more than 4,000 troops and 19 aircraft are supporting Customs and Border Protection personnel.
The funds are being reprogrammed from the Afghan Security Forces Fund, a project focused on chemical weapons, Air Force programs, savings related to a military retirement system, and coalition support funds. The Pentagon is also expected, at some point, to transfer up to $3.6 billion from military construction budgets to pay for wall construction, but details of those plans have yet to be announced.
The move comes after White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday that the president would officially nominate Shanahan to be the next U.S. secretary of defense. The decision to have Shanahan permanently lead the department “is based upon his outstanding service to the country and his demonstrated ability to lead.”
"Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do so," Sanders said in a statement Thursday.
Shanahan said he was “honored” by Trump’s decision.
“If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy," he said. "I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe.””
This is indeed good news for America that we have 4,000 troops and 19 planes ✈️ defending our border from the hordes of hostile enemy invaders and that we are getting extra funding to build more physical and virtual barriers along the border.
‘The Pentagon has approved a plan to spend an additional $1.5 billion to build 80 more miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News Friday.
Acting Defense Secretary PatrickShanahan approved the re-allocation of funds, which were originally earmarked for support of Afghan security forces and other projects, to help pay for the wall along the southern border.
TRUMP TO NOMINATE PATRICK M. SHANAHAN AS DEFENSE SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
"Today, I authorized the transfer of $1.5 billion toward the construction of more than 80 miles of border barrier," he said. "The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes, and revised requirements, and therefore will have minimal impact on force readiness."
In March, Shanahan approved the first transfer of Defense Department dollars and redirected $1 billion to help build nearly 60 miles of wall in Yuma, Ariz. and El Paso, Texas.
The combined total of $2.5 billion is in response to President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border.”
Obama was the first president since before Raygun that saw more illegals LEAVING the US than coming in. That's why the illegals called him the, "Deporter In Chief". So what changed that now we have increases in illegals coming into the country? Trump was elected, that's the only real change.
I doubt seriously that there is a "crisis" at the border. I think trump is exaggerating the problem so his base can scream that illegals are, "streaming across the border" thereby giving trump justification to build something we never needed in the first damn place. His, "wall" will be yet another lie that trump will have to swallow. How is that "national emergency" coming along? Why didn't trump get funding for his wall when he had a republican congress for two years? But now that the dems took the house, he thinks it's time to act? Is he really that dumb?
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He waited until after the mid-terms to seek funding because then when he doesn't get his way, he can scream at his rallies that it's all the dems fault that the wall wasn't built and of course his base will believe it. The wall was never going to be built, it was just another lie to create more division so he has a better chance at being re-elected. Simple as that.
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Please note the dates of these two articles.
I doubt seriously that there is a "crisis" at the border
Really? Then you haven't been keeping up with news for the past several weeks, or are in a deep state of denial.
All the experts say there is.
As I have said before, I live 6 blocks from the AZ/Mexico border fence and there most certainly is a crisis at our Southern border! I get illegals running the alleys behind my house every night 365 days a year. I cannot help but laugh at the poor uninformed souls that live nowhere near as close to the border as I do who get their facts spoonfed to them by the progressive liberal media who also have zero clue themselves.
So the border fence where you live isn't working but we should build MORE for 31+MILLION a mile?
Likely why it Needs to be a wall rather than a cheap wire fence.... Hopefully for him the part of Arizona where he lives will get the wall the pentagon shifted funds to help build.
How do you know that there's only 'a cheap wire fence' where he lives Xx?
Ed and I have posted pictures of the slat fence walls there, many times before.
The "wall" also simply stops 2 miles east, allowing the illegal immigrants and drug mules to circumvent it and walk back to the town and major roads to head north.
What they need are more agents 24/7. Agents they can't seem to attract or keep.
Ah, so this is an area in Arizona designated for expansion. If the wall extended another 20-40 miles east depending how much of the initial 60 is going in Arizona vs. Texas then the problem will be pushed that much further east and hopefully to an inhospitable desert with all food and water stations cleared out of it.
Which they seem to avoid addressing at all costs. They can claim to authorize thousands more agents but can't seem to figure out how to vet them and motivate them to remain in service.
Perhaps in the last 2 years, instead of building more wall, they built facilities and housing for agents, they wouldn't loose them faster than they can train them. They've spend millions trying to recruit agents and much of it was an utter waste. Why even start training a person who can't pass a mandatory lie detector test?
None of has made sense for far too long and pretending that a wall is a panacea merely avoids the core issues.
We have a history of 'company' towns, why can't that happen through the CBP? Look at what the energy companies have done in ND in a very short time.
Hell, the government still owns hundreds of FEMA trailers they can set up right quick. Contract for a concession for the GAS/Grocery and you've got a town.
Halliburton would JUMP at that contract.
I'm sure that you know about the 'locality pay adjustment' for federal employees. That incentive can be augmented for certain sections of the border.
Secondly, the CBP could rotate agents and allow them to spend shorter stints in the hinterlands.
Recruiting local talent would also help in ensuring that agents have a better connection to the area they patrol. Skin in the game so to speak.
How about a recruiting program for college students from border states? 2 years in the CBP for a free college associates degree.
That's just a couple of SOLUTIONS rather than EXCUSES.
Well at least on this we can agree.
I would add to that, that 60% of the applicants, fail a lie detector test AFTER being vetted and tested for physical fitness, knowledge of the laws, arms training and Spanish lessons.
I have lived on some pretty isolated military bases that had everything a family needed,
and that was way before the invention of the internet.
There needs to be a different approach.
They just need to build the wall so that the agents we have and retain will be enough to defend the border and ports of entry. Hiring more ICE agents would be easier to defend our interior from the effects of the invading menace such as drugs, human trafficking, gangs, and crime.
Sad deflection.
Oh and BTFW, the reason that we live where we do is that our elderly mothers are about the same distance in two directions XD. We just moved and put a futon together for my mom today.
Another sad deflection.
The CBP doesn't accept applicants over the age 40 XD. I'm 20+ years too old...
Well it looks like the 2020 DOD budget can be cut by at least 2.5 billion. Good to know.
Between the Senate and President that’s not going to happen. A government shutdown because the democrat House won’t adequately fund the military would not look good for democrats going into 2020
Why Xx? Didn't they just admit that the DOD had an extra 2.5 BILLION laying around? Didn't they just say that diverting those 2.5 BILLION won't effect military readiness?
It seems to me that makes it pretty fucking clear that those 2.5 BILLION can be better spent elsewhere and that is a damn good argument for the Dems going into 2020.
They can try it and see how it all works out for them. Next year may well not have spare change left over after operations in the global war on terror. Spending money on border security also reduces the need for as many troops and planes defending the border so it’s a good investment.
Well isn't that a fantastic argument for how and where to spend taxpayer funds. /s
You all on the progressive side try to cut funding for the troops and we won’t talk to them or negotiate with them. We will shine the spotlight on them and use public ridicule and shaming to humiliate and embarrass them into restoring troop and their equipment and training funding. No negotiation with t————-.
Please STOP pretending to speak for anyone but yourself Xx.
Hilarious. Trump's 2020 budget CUTS DOD funding Xx.
So turn your eye of Sauron on Trump instead.
And trump supports the military? Please. 80 miles of useless wall is not worth denying security for American troops in Afghanistan. And how much wall is trump proposing to build? 1.5 BILLION for 80 miles? WTF?!
Actually it's 2.5 BILLION. That's 31,250,000 PER MILE.
But we can't afford Meals on Wheels.
WTF indeed.
“"Today, I authorized the transfer of $1.5 billion toward the construction of more than 80 miles of border barrier," he said. "The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes, and revised requirements, and therefore will have minimal impact on force readiness."
In March, Shanahan approved the first transfer of Defense Department dollars and redirected $1 billion to help build nearly 60 miles of wall in Yuma, Ariz. and El Paso, Texas.”
Oh, $17,857,143 PER MILE is a REAL DEAL then. /s
Why do favor open borders?
Why post a strawman?
The funding also includes non wall stuff too such as cameras and drones and less invasive barriers in other areas beyond the actual hard wall so the cost per mile is quite inflated.
Opposition to border barriers and walls/tall fences is de facto support for open borders.
It seems to me that a good chunk of the wall will be built before any court decisions come down and more can be built while under appeal. Also the money congress did approve can be spent in Ca and NM while the larger amounts will be spent in Texas and Arizona which are not in the lawsuits.
That's not what YOUR seed says Xx. The fact is, the 2019 budget already includes all that stuff. It's construction and military personnel that Trump cited in his emergency declaration, NOT tech or drones.
Stop obfuscating.
Only to those who have a limited understanding of the facts and have to resort to strawmen.
Oh and BTFW Xx, you JUST said that Trump was using 'emergency funds' for:
Does that 'de facto support' extend to Trump too?
Just so long as the part that is trying to become The State of Jefferson is on the USA side of that wall, I’m all for it.
The seed didn’t go into a lot of details about the first 1 billion done back in March when that was actually mentioned. Also don’t even bother to presume to tell me what to do or say on my seeds.
Trump and I both support an all of the above plan for the border and I trust Trump to do the best he can considering all the trash he has to deal with that are the opposition party in DC.
Sure it was Xx.
Then STOP demeaning those who don't exclusively support 'border barriers and walls/tall fences'. Doing so is hypocritical.
I don’t exclusively support only a wall along the whole border. I do support it as a part of the overall solution though I will not agree to anything regarding any expansion of legal immigration or making legal many who are here illegally now both of which I ultimately support until the wall is completed to the satisfaction of those who support a wall. I’m willing to keep those here illegally now in limbo forever more and never add to legal immigration, and engage in ICE deportations anywhere any time until the day the wall is completed. I’m prepared to be quite moderate to even liberal regarding immigration once the Wall is built and we are in control of and aware of who is coming and going through our border. Until that happens, I’ll side with the anti immigration hardliners like from FAIR.
Yet you insist that: