Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 19 March 2019
Pentagon lists possible project cuts to pay for wall
By ALAN FRAM and LOLITA veto,” Sen. Jack Reed of
C. BALDOR Rhode Island, top Demo-
Associated Press crat on the Senate Armed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Services Committee, said in
Pentagon sent a 20-page a statement.
list of military construc- With the House scheduled
tion projects to Congress to vote Tuesday on over-
on Monday that might be riding Trump’s veto, the
slashed to pay for President spokeswoman for the top
Donald Trump’s wall along GOP vote counter predict-
the Mexican border. Dem- ed the president will prevail
ocrats expressed hope that anyway. “House Republi-
by knowing which local cans have stood strongly
projects could be target- with President Trump on
ed, lawmakers would be securing our nation’s bor-
likelier to override Trump’s der and overwhelmingly
veto of a measure aimed supported his emergency
at preventing the cuts. declaration by large mar-
“Now that members of gins when we voted on
Congress can see the po- this weeks ago; this will not
tential impact this proposal change,” said Lauren Fine,
could have on projects in spokeswoman for No. 2
their home states, I hope House GOP leader Steve
they will take that into con- Scalise of Louisiana.
sideration before the vote The Pentagon document
to override the President’s listed hundreds of projects
In this March 11, 2019 photo, construction crews replace a section of the primary wall separating
San Diego, above right, and Tijuana, Mexico, below left, seen from Tijuana, Mexico.
Associated Press
envisioned around the U.S. House and Senate both fell wouldn’t touch items for
and world worth around short of the two-thirds ma- which money would be
$12.9 billion. Not all will be jorities that will be needed awarded by the Sept. 30
subject to cuts, the De- to override Trump’s veto. end of this fiscal year or for
fense Department wrote, That suggests the override projects like housing. They
making it difficult to deter- effort will fail unless the po- didn’t specify which would
mine exactly which would litical tide shifts. be exempted.
be vulnerable. Trump declared a national Even so, Democrats
The list included more than emergency at the Mexi- latched onto the potential
$100 million for water treat- can boundary last month cuts to drum up support for
ment plant improvements after Congress limited him the veto override.
at Camp Lejeune and air- to just under $1.4 billion to “What President Trump is
field security and other build border barriers. He in- doing is a slap in the face
work at Cherry Point Marine voked a law that would let to our military that makes
Corps Air Station in North him siphon other budget our border and the country
Carolina. That is the home funds — $3.6 billion from less secure,” Reed said.
state to Republican Sen. military construction — to Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois,
Thom Tillis, who initially said build the structures and ful- Patrick Leahy of Vermont
he opposed Trump’s emer- fill his prime 2016 campaign and Hawaii’s Brian Schatz
gency but voted for it. Tillis, promise. said, “This madness will not
who could face a tough The House voted to block stop until more of our Re-
re-election fight next year, his emergency by 245-182 publican colleagues are
said the White House had in February. The Senate fol- willing to put the military
shown a willingness to con- lowed last week by 59-41, ahead of party politics.”
sider curbing presidential including a dozen GOP A spokesperson for Sen.
powers to declare future defections. Lawmakers James Inhofe, R-Okla.,
emergencies. expressed concerns that chairman of the Armed
Also listed were an air traf- Trump was ignoring Con- Services panel, said the
fic control tower at Fort gress’ constitutional control document “is not a list of
Benning, Georgia; a main- over spending and worries projects that will definitively
tenance hangar at Travis about the cuts’ impact be impacted.” She said In-
Air Force Base in Califor- back home. Trump vetoed hofe will continue working
nia; and a drone hangar the bill Friday. with defense officials to find
at Kunsan Air Base in South In a letter accompanying targets “without negatively
Korea. the list, Defense Depart- affecting any military con-
In their initial votes, the ment officials said they struction projects.”q