The Defense Department has identified $12.8 billion in possible funding that it could use to fulfill President Trump’s call for a border wall.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., released the 20-page spreadsheet on Twitter Monday night.
Trump last month declared a national emergency at the border, and said he wants to use $3.6 billion for border wall projects. The Pentagon’s list said it has found possible funding sources that are “in excess of the amount needed.”
But it’s not clear which projects the Defense Department will draw from. Some states that have been allocated big chunks of money that haven’t been spent could see a hit.
California, for example, was identified as having more than $700 million in unused Army and Navy military construction that could be used. Hawaii has more than $400 million that could be used.
More than $200 million in similar funding allocated for Hawaii, Maine, New York, North Carolina, Guam, Germany, Guam, and Guantanamo Bay Cuba are also on the list.
Reed warned in his tweet that “military bases in your state could be negatively impacted” by Trump’s border emergency.
Trump Admin finally releases its list of at-risk #milcon projects that could be put on the chopping block in order to divert billions to pay for Trump’s ineffective #borderwall. Take a look – military bases in your state could be negatively impacted.
https://t.co/xJyDzjSITS— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed) March 18, 2019
Congress has passed a resolution to disapprove of Trump’s push for emergency funding, but Trump vetoed it, and lawmakers are not expected to have enough votes to override him. Opponents of Trump’s move are still hopeful that court challenge might prevent Trump from spending the money.
[Opinion: Trump issued his first veto. Watch out for his second]
