Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 4 september 2019
Pentagon approves military construction cash for border wall

By LOLITA C. BALDOR ficials also said they would
Associated Press focus on projects set to
WASHINGTON (AP) — De- begin in 2020 and beyond,
fense Secretary Mark Esper with the hope that the
on Tuesday approved the money could eventually
use of $3.6 billion in fund- be restored by Congress.
ing from military construc- “Canceling military con-
tion projects to build 175 struction projects at home
miles of President Donald and abroad will undermine
Trump’s wall along the our national security and
Mexican border. the quality of life and mo-
Pentagon officials would rale of our troops, making
not say which 127 projects America less secure,” said
will be affected, but said House Speaker Nancy Pe-
details will be available losi, a California Democrat.
Wednesday after members The government will spend
of Congress are notified. the military housing money
They said half the money on 11 wall projects in Cali-
will come from military proj- fornia, Arizona and Texas,
ects in the U.S., and the rest the administration said in
will come from projects in a filing Tuesday in a lawsuit
other countries. brought by the American
Esper’s decision fuels what Civil Liberties Union. The
has been a persistent In this March 11, 2019 photo, construction crews replace a section of the primary wall separating most expensive is for 52
controversy between the San Diego, above right, and Tijuana, Mexico, below left, seen from Tijuana, Mexico. miles in Laredo, Texas, at a
Trump administration and Associated Press cost of $1.27 billion.
Congress over immigration Elaine McCusker, the Pen- and a number of lawmak- balize already allocated The Laredo project and
policies and the funding tagon comptroller, said the ers made it clear during military funding to boost one in El Centro, California,
of the border wall. And it now-unfunded projects are the debate earlier this year his own ego and for a wall are on private property,
sets up a difficult debate not being canceled. In- that they would not fall for he promised Mexico would which would require pur-
for lawmakers who refused stead, the Pentagon is say- budget trickery and sleight pay to build,” said Senate chase or confiscation, ac-
earlier this year to approve ing the military projects are of hand to build the wall. Democratic Leader Chuck cording to the court filing.
nearly $6 billion for the wall, being “deferred.” The De- “It is a slap in the face Schumer of New York. He Two projects in Arizona are
but now must decide if fense Department, howev- to the members of the said the funding shift will af- on land overseen by the
they will refund the projects er, has no guarantee from Armed Forces who serve fect the U.S. Military Acad- Navy and will be the first
that are being used to pro- Congress that any of the our country that President emy at West Point. to be built, no earlier than
vide the money. money will be replaced, Trump is willing to canni- Congress approved $1.375 Oct. 3. Seven are at least
billion for wall construction partly on federal land over-
in this year’s budget, same seen by the Interior Depart-
as the previous year and ment.
far less than the $5.7 bil- Army Lt. Gen. Andrew W.
lion that the White House Poppas, director of opera-
sought. Trump grudgingly tions for the Joint Staff, told
accepted the money to reporters that shoring up
end a 35-day government the wall could eventually
shutdown in February but lead to a reduction in the
simultaneously declared number of troops who are
a national emergency to deployed along the bor-
take money from other der. About 3,000 active-du-
government accounts, ty troops and 2,000 mem-
identifying up to $8.1 billion bers of the National Guard
for wall construction. are being used along the
The transferred funds in- border to support Home-
clude $600 million from land Security and border
the Treasury Department’s patrol efforts.
asset forfeiture fund, $2.5 About 1,200 of the active-
billion from Defense De- duty troops are conduct-
partment counterdrug ac- ing surveillance in mobile
tivities and now the $3.6 bil- truck units.
lion pot for military housing Pappas and other officials
construction announced couldn’t say how soon or
Tuesday. by how many the troop
The Pentagon reviewed numbers could go down.
the list of military projects Pentagon spokesman
and said none that provid- Jonanthan Hoffman said
ed housing or critical infra- the troops would remain
structure for troops would at the border for as long as
be affected, in the wake of they are needed. It could
recent scandals over poor depend in part on the
living quarters for service number of attempted bor-
members in several parts der crossings by migrants
of the country. Defense of- and other issues.q