Senators Press DOD for Answers Following Transfer of $1 Billion in Military Funding to Fund Border Wall

Mar 25 2019

Washington – Following notification from the Department of Defense that it transferred $1 billion in military personnel funding to the Drug Interdiction and Counter-narcotics Activities account to be used to build part of President Donald Trump’s wall on the Southwest border, even though it was not approved by Congress, every Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies today pressed the Department of Defense for information on how this transfer will impact military readiness initiatives this year.

“We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself,” the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary Shanahan. “As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military.”

In their letter, the senators noted a growing list of substantial funding shortfalls, including the Air Force and Marine Corps having working drafts of more than $1.5 billion in proposals to speed cleanup and reconstruction of Tyndall Air Force Base and Camp Lejeune, which were devastated by hurricanes.

The letter was signed by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), John Tester (D-Mont.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.).

Last week, the Defense Department sent Congress a list of more than $10 billion worth of military construction projects that could be delayed in order to pay for President Trump’s border wall.

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

Click for Full Text!

Poster Comment:

The list of Senators, all (D), says it all.