Pentagon slows down 3 border fence projects because of cost

The Defense Department will no longer advance three border fence projects in California and Arizona, according to a brief filed by the court on Monday.

This decision cancels a previous Pentagon clearance of about 20 miles of fencing, lighting and other border infrastructure that would have used $ 2.5 billion of redistributed funds from a wrestling fund against drugs. This authorization, announced on 27 August, was based on what was then defined as "lower than expected contract costs". But the Department of Defense revealed in Monday's record that the department would not be able to cover the project costs.

History continues below

The Department of Defense initially authorized funding after the US Army Corps of Engineers determined that it would likely be able to fund projects using the drug funds, but the Corps of the United States Army Corps of Engineers determined that Army said that he would not know the full financial situation before the end of the exercise. year.

The corps finally informed the department that the funds would not cover the project, which resulted in its withdrawal on September 13, according to a document attached to the court record.

Border projects are part of a broader Trump administration effort to use Pentagon funds to deliver on the promise of President Donald Trump's key campaign to create a border wall. Earlier this year, the president asked Congress to propose billions of dollars for a wall on the border with Mexico. After Congress declined the request and the government began the longest shutdown in its history, Trump declared a national emergency to divert defense funds to border gates.

Using the Pentagon funds to create a wall at the border has sparked numerous legal challenges, including from the House, which has argued that this violates the constitutional power of the wallet of Congress. A judge subsequently rejected the House's complaint.

In July, the Supreme Court temporarily authorized the government to use $ 2.5 billion of Pentagon funds to replace the existing border infrastructure in California, Arizona and New Mexico, canceling the blockages imposed by lower courts. But the decision is not a definitive approval of the move, and organizations and states challenging the budget reorganization are continuing their efforts in court.