JD News reports that the Trump administration is proposing to “back fill” the $3.6 billion it plans to take from the U.S. military’s construction account for the wall, but Democrats have said they aren’t going to fund projects Congress has already funded. According to the article, the Pentagon will not cancel any projects outright, but the initiatives won’t be able to proceed if they aren’t funded.
The $12.9 billion pool of initiatives the administration would pull funding from include military construction projects approved by congress, but not yet contracted out by the Pentagon. Additional projects include developing a hangar for drones in South Korea and a wastewater treatment plant at West Point.
Several of the projects are updates to facilities that affect daily military life on bases. Others are construction projects that directly impact military operations and training, such as firing ranges, aircraft maintenance hangars, and flight simulation facilities.
According to the article, if Congress enacts next year’s budget on time, the construction projects will all proceed on schedule. However, the president’s budget request has already run into opposition on Capitol Hill.
“What President Trump is doing is a slap in the face to our military that makes our border and the country less secure,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said to JD News. “He is planning to take funds from real, effective operational priorities and needed projects and divert them to his vanity wall.”
A number of lawsuits are challenging the administration’s decision in court.
Source: JD News
