Pentagon details military projects threatened by border war

On Monday, the Pentagon sent legislators a long list of uncommitted military construction funds totaling nearly $ 12.9 billion that could be raided on more US-Mexican border gates as part of the President Donald Trump's national emergency.

The move came after the Democrats accused acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan of preventing lawmakers from saying whether military projects threatened in their states were in danger.

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The Pentagon's list shows plans for nearly $ 12.9 billion in military services that had not been anticipated by December 31. Most of the money is concentrated over the last two fiscal years – nearly $ 6.8 billion for projects during the current fiscal year 2019 and nearly $ 4.3 billion for 2018 fiscal year.

After several tough exchanges during a Senate armed services hearing last week, Shanahan told Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island that he would be appearing in the panel soon.

Lawmakers on both sides are dyspeptic about a possible looting of the defense budget for a border wall – a move that they say will hurt army readiness just as it is being rebuilt.

In a statement released on Monday, Reed called Trump's move "slap on our military."

"He plans to take funds from real and effective operational priorities and needed projects and divert them from his vanity," said Reed.

Trump aims to mobilize $ 3.6 billion of uncommitted military construction funds for his signature wall and seeks separately to raid a Pentagon drug trafficking account for even more money.

The Pentagon says it's not going to attack military homes and other projects awarded or having award dates for the 2019 fiscal year.

"The pool of potential military construction projects from which funds could be reallocated to support the construction of a border fence are only projects whose award dates are after September 30, 2019," he said. the Pentagon.

The recently released Trump 2020 defense budget proposes $ 7.2 billion in emergency funding for the Southern Border, equitably divided between new barriers and rebuilding projects. military construction that it aims to attack.

Shanahan, who took office in January following the sudden resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, defended the decision last week at Capitol Hill, informing the armed services of the Senate that the border funding "will not be made to the detriment of our people, our state of readiness, or our will. " modernization."

But Reed and other Democrats have blamed Shanahan for failing to give Congress precise information on projects likely to be broken, while lawmakers passed a resolution to end the situation. emergency.

"I feel completely lost," said Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) In Shanahan. "You are going to send it to us … after the vote on the emergency declaration, members of the Senate have the right to know where MilCon 's money will come from.

The House and Senate approved a resolution to rescind the emergency declaration, but Trump quickly vetoed the measure.

The House is expected to vote next week on the cancellation of Trump's veto, but efforts should be in vain. Reed nevertheless argued that the list gave legislators new ammunition.

"A bipartisan majority in Congress voted to reprimand this ill-conceived idea," said Reed. "Now that members of Congress can see the potential impact of this proposal on the projects of their home countries, I hope they will take it into account before the vote in order to override it. to the veto of the president ".