Trump planning to divert additional $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post


Nick Miroff 7 hrs ago

President Trump is preparing to divert an additional $7.2?billion in Pentagon funding for border wall construction this year, five times what Congress authorized him to spend on the project in the 2020 budget, according to internal planning figures obtained by The Washington Post.

The Pentagon funds would be extracted, for the second year in a row, from military construction projects and counternarcotics funding. According to the plans, the funding would give the government enough money to complete about 885 miles of new fencing by spring 2022, far more than the 509 miles the administration has slated for the U.S. border with Mexico.

Trump took $2.5 billion from military counterdrug programs for border barrier construction in 2019, but this year his administration is planning to take significantly more — $3.5 billion. Trump administration officials also are planning to take $3.7 billion in military construction funding, slightly more than the $3.6 billion diverted in 2019.

The move would bring the total amount of federal funds allocated to border fencing to $18.4 billion under Trump, who made the border barrier a priority during his campaign for the presidency in 2016. He also pledged to make Mexico pay for the barrier, delighting crowds at his rallies.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-planning-to-divert-additional-dollar72-billion-in-pentagon-funds-for-border-wall/ar-BBYVkbJ?li=BBnb7Kz

[duforsure]

1. He's doing this to...

Use it in the future as a weapon against others, and I suspect he has contractors in order to get contracts have to pledge their loyalty by agreeing to give money to his campaign funneling some into his pockets for bribes and payoffs. Follow the money with all used on this wall, this very very expensive wall, and I suspect it will get uncovered whatever scheme he's using to personally profit from it. Wonder if putin gets a cut of it?

[RandiFan1290]

2. Time to cut the Pentagon budget. nt

[walkingman]

7. Long overdue

[cstanleytech]

11. Agreed and it honestly does need an aggressive trimming to 2/3 from its

current level at the very least as we are spending almost the same amount that the other top 10 defense spenders are spending and its unsustainable.

[JudyM]

25. But not enough $ for Dem priorities.

If the pentagon can apparently do without these funds, why not use some of it to trim the deficit, at least? Hmm.

[Scarsdale]

3. Well, seems to me

that the Pentagon is awash in extra money, if tRump can just step in and take BILLIONS away from them. What was the excuse again about Universal Health Care being too expensive? Maybe politicians on our side could just TAKE billions from the Pentagon budget to pay for it? It would be money well spent, rather than a stupid, useless wall that only enriches tRump and his pals.

[Frustratedlady]

4. How does he get by with this? Where is the outrage from Congress?

How much of the wall is built? I thought it was like 70 miles. Last I saw, people were able to scale the wall in no time or saw slats down.

Too bad we can't follow this money. My gut feeling is a lot of it ends up in Trump's pockets in some way.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

9. Same as the GOP always has reacted when Trump acts corruptly.

crickets

[evertonfc]

5. I never thought

he would able to do it. The House isn't able to do a lot to prevent him from doing whatever he wants. In fact, they gave him millions in latest budget for wall. sad

[Iliyah]

6. And . . .

Puerta Rico?

[IcyPeas]

27. yes, Puerto Rico is devastated

but he needs to build a friggen wall.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Suppose Trump loses in November and the House remains under democratic control,

could Congress and the new (democratic) President RE-allocate the funds from The Wall back to the Pentagon?

[cstanleytech]

12. Well since the courts have given the ok to this maybe instead the next

Democrat can use his power to shift a few hundred billion to infrastructure as that is a vital thing we need for defense.
Edit: With the vast majority of it going to blue and blue leaning states.

[bluestarone]

13. The rethugs may have opened a pandoras box

When we get a DEM. President we'll fix their ass!

[mahina]

10. Is that legal?

[greenjar_01]

16. Trump courts say that Congressional appropriations to DoD construction are general slush funds for

the Executive, tra la, we live in a dictatorship.

[DeminPennswoods]

14. Bet DoD is kicking itself for letting

the Trump camel get its nose inside their bank vault tent.Esper's probably getting quite an earful from all of his underlings.

[greenjar_01]

15. Why have an appropriations process if the Executive gets a slush fund

Democrats in the House should refuse any Pentagon funding for anything resembling construction projects until these Executive slush funds are overturned by the courts. Any construction project, from new base housing to putting up a fucking seesaw in a base playground can and will be diverted to wall funding. Refuse it all.

[Thekaspervote]

18. This!!

[Thekaspervote]

17. Active military and vets....are you listening??!!

[kimbutgar]

23. They only have fox on their TVs so they won't hear this.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

28. Please don't attempt to speak for us.

[kimbutgar]

29. Didn't you just read the post of the mother of a soldier who said that her son complained that

Only play fox on TV at the bases? That is what I based my comment on. My husbands nephew also told me the same thing awhile ago.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

30. Although I am retired from the military,

after a long and rewarding career, I still have very close ties to many still in uniform. Coming from a military family, as well as being quite active in Veteran circles, I can assure you that your second-hand information does not translate into factual condemnation of hundreds of thousands of airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines and coasties. Perhaps you're unaware of the many political and activist military democratic organizations across the country. GOOGLE can provide you with a lengthy list of these groups.

[rockfordfile]

19. Then when the Democratic President is in there he or she can use some for Healthcare.

[dhill926]

20. strange that a lot of this money is being taken from counterdrug programs....

I'm sure the cartels are happy about that. Would be fascinating to follow the money on all this...

[Aristus]

21. I don't see how this is going to make Mexico pay for the wall.

[kimbutgar]

22. Why do I feel there is a kickback scheme where mf45 gives some money like a mafia don?

This is a misappropriation of funds and the house should freeze monies until they get clarification. Or maybe Russia is getting back the money they gave mf45. This whole thing smells like a deadly fart.

[Politicub]

24. No one will stop him. He could move the entire Pentagon budget to

investigating his political enemies without repercussions. He already has the resources of the DOJ going after his perceived enemies.

The only remedy is to crush him electorally come November.

[Newest Reality]

26. Meanwhile,

Last time I checked, ladders, shovels, rope and Sawzalls are all pretty darn cheap by comparison.

Only a fool would totally waste $7.2-billion dollars of tax payer money in that case. However, maybe we can get SNAP recipients to pay for it? Maybe retired seniors would be willing to chip in for no reason?

I am glad though that all the people who own property and live along the trump-fault-line will happily, gladly, selflessly let the government come and take it away without making a fuss and delaying the progress of this first phase of the Great GOP American Condom project, (we need to build a bubble dome). Whew, at least it ain't bibles and guns being took. God bless eminent domain!

You can almost feel safe already. Whew!